Boat captain accused of selling cocaine found at sea to undercover cops in sun-soaked tourist haven: police

Ahead of the deal, Picariello allegedly spoke with the undercover agent over the phone, reportedly instructing him to bring a cooler to the marina so it would appear as though he was picking up fish.

The boat captain also allegedly told the agent that he had an additional 100 pounds of cocaine in the event he was looking to purchase even more of the illegal drugs, the outlet reported. 

As Picariello waited to be handed $10,000 in cash to complete the illegal transaction, authorities reportedly swarmed his boat and placed him under arrest.

Police said the captain revealed the remainder of his illegal stash was hidden inside a storage unit and allowed them to conduct a search, the outlet reported. 

Authorities subsequently discovered nearly two dozen kilos of cocaine covered in plastic wrap and marked with a "332" stamp, according to the news release. 

"I want to thank all the Sheriff's Office members and our law enforcement partners who investigated this case and continue to work to keep dangerous drugs out of our community," Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement.

The investigation was conducted with the assistance of Monroe County Sheriff's Office's Special Operations detectives, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area investigators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Drug and Enforcement Administration and CBP Air and Marine Operations. 

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.