Floyd Devasier, 63 was arrested with a 38-year-old woman in Cuba and then picked up by the feds after flying to Miami.
MIAMI — A Katy, Texas man was busted in Miami, Florida on Thursday after federal authorities said he took a stolen boat to Cuba, according to CBS News.
Investigators say Floyd Devasier, 63, rented a 26.5-foot Panga boat from a Florida Keys marina on Tuesday, July 8, and agreed to return it by Wednesday. He also agreed to follow all maritime laws.
Marina employees in Key West said Devasier told them that he planned to dock the boat overnight on Stock Island.
“Marina staff were alerted when GPS tracking showed the boat entering Cuban waters, approximately 90 miles south of Key West,” according to a statement from the Beach Weekend Key West Marina.
They notified the U.S. Coast Guard and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office interviewed multiple businesses and vessel owners on Stock Island who said the boat was never docked there.
MCSO investigators tried to call Devasier, but said he didn’t answer.
On Wednesday, the Cuban Border Guard notified the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office that Devasier and a 38-year-old foreign national woman were in their custody. They also had the rental boat.
It’s illegal for U.S. citizens to travel directly to Cuba by recreational boat without prior government authorization.
Devasier flew to Miami on Thursday and was arrested by federal authorities on a warrant for hiring or leasing with the intent to defraud, according to the sheriff’s office.
We don’t know if the unidentified woman who was with him faces charges as well.
The Key West sheriff said Devasier has multiple prior convictions for drug-related offenses, including a similar case in 2019 where a vessel kept past its due date was also located in Cuba.
“I want to thank the U.S. Coast Guard, HSI, the Cuban Border Guard and the good Samaritan on the water for their help and cooperation in bringing this case to a successful conclusion,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said.