Thieves Target Pricey Boats on Florida's Coasts

A criminal ring thought to be working its way up Florida's west coast is suspected in the recent thefts of five high-priced Pinellas County boats, the type often used to smuggle illegal immigrants into the country.

"These are not random acts," said Charlie Meacham, a Jacksonville-based private investigator working for several insurance companies to try to recover the stolen boats. "These guys are professionals. They are in and out, and before you know it, the boat is in Mexico."

Meacham, who is investigating several of the Pinellas County thefts, just returned from Cancun, where he says he found 44 boats reported stolen in Florida.

"They all had fraudulent registration numbers," he said. "We are currently working with the Mexican government to see if we can get these boats returned to their owners."

Smugglers of both illegal immigrants and drugs favor multiengine "go-fast boats" with large fuel capacities, the same features that make the vessels appealing to tournament fishermen.

"These multiengine, go-fast boats … are often targeted by smugglers of both narcotics and human cargo," said Zach Mann, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Immigration in Miami. "Vessels of this kind are routinely intercepted on the water by our officers."