Found this in the Palm Beach Post:
Keys fisherman arrested in massive lobster poaching case
By CHRISTINE STAPLETON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Federal officials have arrested a commercial fisherman believed to be the largest lobster poacher in the Florida Keys after finding 6,000 illegal lobster tails in freezers at the man's million-dollar home.
David Dreifort, 41, of Cudjoe Key, was arrested Wednesday - the opening day of lobster season - and charged with harvesting about 140 pounds of lobster out of season and using illegal artificial habitat in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
"This is one of the biggest if not the biggest lobster poaching case," said Dave Score, superintendent of the marine sanctuary. Score declined to comment on specifics of the case but said poaching has been an "ongoing problem for a number of years and we have made that known to law enforcement."
The undercover investigation began on July 22 when a tip led officers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the Florida Wildlife Service to a home in the lower Florida Keys.
There, they found a large freezer filled with 41 large Zip lock bags, each filled with 16 pounds of lobster tails. The estimated worth, at $15-$20 per pound, was at least $9,800.
"Man, everbody's talking about it," said Jeff Cramer, a commercial fisherman and member of the Florida Marine Sanctuary Advisory Board. "There's a lot of pretty happy people down here today."
Dreifort was freed today after posting $1 million bail - far more than the $150,000 that Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald requested in court documents. Dreifort faces up to five years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines and forfeiture of his boats, vehicles, gear and equipment. His next court date is Sept. 2.
Keys fisherman arrested in massive lobster poaching case
By CHRISTINE STAPLETON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Federal officials have arrested a commercial fisherman believed to be the largest lobster poacher in the Florida Keys after finding 6,000 illegal lobster tails in freezers at the man's million-dollar home.
David Dreifort, 41, of Cudjoe Key, was arrested Wednesday - the opening day of lobster season - and charged with harvesting about 140 pounds of lobster out of season and using illegal artificial habitat in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
"This is one of the biggest if not the biggest lobster poaching case," said Dave Score, superintendent of the marine sanctuary. Score declined to comment on specifics of the case but said poaching has been an "ongoing problem for a number of years and we have made that known to law enforcement."
The undercover investigation began on July 22 when a tip led officers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the Florida Wildlife Service to a home in the lower Florida Keys.
There, they found a large freezer filled with 41 large Zip lock bags, each filled with 16 pounds of lobster tails. The estimated worth, at $15-$20 per pound, was at least $9,800.
"Man, everbody's talking about it," said Jeff Cramer, a commercial fisherman and member of the Florida Marine Sanctuary Advisory Board. "There's a lot of pretty happy people down here today."
Dreifort was freed today after posting $1 million bail - far more than the $150,000 that Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Watts-Fitzgerald requested in court documents. Dreifort faces up to five years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines and forfeiture of his boats, vehicles, gear and equipment. His next court date is Sept. 2.
