In September of 2015, Hialeah resident Roberto Morales Diaz was confronted by sheriff’s deputies as he burglarized multiple boats at Unique Marine in Tavernier. An accomplice acting as a lookout was apprehended at the scene. Diaz fled but was caught a short time later in Florida City and was taken into custody.

This case wrapped up a lengthy multi-agency investigation of marine thefts and burglaries which had been plaguing the Florida Keys for months. Due to the large number of thefts county-wide, a task force had been working on the cases, including participants from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, Homeland Security, the State Attorney’s Office and Customs and Border Protection. Key West Police lent resources to the task force on several occasions.

On Thursday, May 26, 2016, Diaz was sentenced at the Plantation Key Courthouse to 13 years in prison for his crimes followed by two years of probation.