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Florida Keys fishing captain stumbles upon over 50 pounds of cocaine near marina

Florida Keys fishing captain finds 55 pounds of cocaine near Square Grouper Marina. Authorities handed over the suspected drugs to U.S. Border Patrol.
Florida Keys fishing captain finds 55 pounds of cocaine near Square Grouper Marina. Authorities handed over the suspected drugs to U.S. Border Patrol. MCSO

A sack of “square groupers,” more than 50 pounds of cocaine, was discovered near a marina in the Florida Keys, deputies announced.

A fishing captain found over a dozen clear-wrapped packages containing what authorities believe to be about 55 pounds of cocaine near the Square Grouper Marina in Islamorada, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.

The suspected cocaine was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The marina takes its namesake from local slang. Square Grouper, coincidentally, is what residents in the ‘70s and ‘80s would call drug bundles.

This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM with the headline "Florida Keys fishing captain stumbles upon over 50 pounds of cocaine near marina."

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Devoun Cetoute
Miami Herald
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Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.