A Texas man was caught on video driving from the Florida Keys to Cuba in rental boat, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s (MCSO).
The man, 63-year-old Floyd Dean Devasier, allegedly rented a 26.5-foot Panga boat from Beach Weekend Key West Marina on Tuesday and agreed to follow maritime laws and not operate the vessel at dark.
Devasier said that he would dock the boat overnight at a marina on the 6800 block of Front Street on Stock Island, but “multiple business and vessel owners” later said the boat never showed, authorities said.
MCSO said the owners of the marina were able to track the rented vessel, but GPS showed it heading south in the Atlantic Ocean before “tracking ceased.”
“They attempted to call Devasier with no response and then contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said they learned the day after that Devasier and a 38-year-old woman were taken into custody by the Cuban Border Guard.
Devasier flew to Miami on Thursday and was arrested by federal authorities on a MCSO warrant for hiring or leasing with the intent to defraud.
The suspect has prior convictions, including a very similar 2019 case where he rented a vessel that was ultimately located in Cuba.
That case resulted in him being charged with drug-related offenses, MCSO stated.
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