Man Wanting To Return To Cuba Stole Fishing Boat In FL Keys: Sheriff

MONROE COUNTY, FL — A Miami man who wanted to return to Cuba faces charges after stealing a $60,000 fishing boat from a Marathon resident, according to a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Cristian Torres Perez, 30, was charged with grand theft and burglary.

Deputies responded to Avenue A, where the victim said his 40-foot fishing vessel had been stolen from, Monday around 8:30 a.m., the agency said.

The victim told deputies that Torres Perez, a former employee from Cuba, had recently quit and talked about returning to Cuba because he disliked living in the United States.

The sheriff’s office reported the stolen vessel, coordinating with local law enforcement partners, including Key Colony Beach Police, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations.

Hours later, the U.S. Coast Guard noticed the stolen boat’s emergency beacon was activated about 50 miles south of Key West. A Coast Guard aircraft spotted the vessel and its occupant – Torres Perez - waving his arms for help, the sheriff’s office said.

The vessel became inoperable and a tanker in the area picked up Torres Perez, MCSO said.

The U.S. Coast Guard brought him to Key West, where he was booked into jail.