Off the coast of the Florida Keys, packages of cocaine wrapped in plastic—locally known as “square grouper”—continue to wash ashore with increasing frequency, underscoring the region’s ongoing role in drug trafficking routes. This summer, a group of lobster divers recovered a cocaine brick near Big Pine Key, roughly 30 miles northeast of Key West, highlighting the persistent flow of illicit drugs in the area’s waters.
The discovered brick bore a design featuring a fiery sun, praying hands, and the phrase “With God” in Spanish. After failing to locate law enforcement immediately, the boat captain left the package on the hood of a fire-rescue ambulance. Such instances are not isolated, as packages regularly appear, prompting concerns among local officials about the risks and prevalence of drug smuggling.
John Strama, a longtime Keys boat builder and mechanic, was among those recently convicted for distributing cocaine recovered from the sea. Authorities said he leveraged his expertise of local tides and waterways to locate bricks lost or discarded by traffickers. “Fishing for ‘square groupers’ in the waters off the Florida Keys is not a harmless pastime. It is drug trafficking,” stated Jason A. Reding Quiñones, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay confirmed that cocaine packages have surfaced nearly every week, with a recent uptick in seizures drawing heightened attention. He noted a shift in drug smuggling methods over the decades: while the 1980s saw smugglers rely on fast speedboats akin to the “Miami Vice” era, traffickers now tend to use less conspicuous vessels like sailboats and freighters. The Keys’ extensive coastline, mangroves, and small islands provide ample cover for such operations.
The bricks found often bear symbols or numbers identifying their intended recipients; recently, bricks stamped “333” or emblazoned with popular cartoon characters have surfaced. Law enforcement officials estimate that the resurgence in global cocaine production contributes to increased deposits washing ashore in Florida’s island chain.
The risks tied to these drugs are real. In 2011, a local man died from a cocaine overdose after ingesting contents from a floating brick. Additionally, in 2015, murder charges were connected to disputes arising from the sale of cocaine found at sea, illustrating the sometimes deadly consequences linked to the trade.
Last month, Bradford Picariello, owner of Outlaw Fishing Charters in Marathon, Florida, was federally indicted on charges alleging he sold cocaine bricks discovered in the Keys. He pleaded not guilty and faces a sentence ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment if convicted. According to law enforcement, a confidential informant facilitated a transaction in January where Picariello sold a kilogram of cocaine for $100,000, instructing the buyer to bring a cooler to disguise the purchase as a fish haul. The case remains pending, with Picariello currently in federal custody.
Not all encounters with square grouper end in criminal charges. Danielle Nutten, the captain who found a cocaine brick while lobster diving near Big Pine Key, described her group’s bewilderment and fear upon discovering the package. After unsuccessfully seeking authorities, she left the brick on an ambulance and later shared a celebratory dinner at the local Square Grouper Bar and Grill, reflecting the community’s complex relationship with the phenomenon.
Despite federal efforts to disrupt maritime drug trafficking in the wider Caribbean, such operations rarely reach the Keys directly, allowing the ongoing influx of cocaine bricks to continue. Law enforcement agencies such as the Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration have not provided comment on the recent trends.
As cocaine smuggling persists, the Florida Keys remain a contested space between traffickers exploiting the geography and authorities seeking to curb the flow of drugs into the United States.