A routine patrol by Boynton Beach Police marine unit officers to educate boaters about the start of manatee season ended in a $1 million pot bust after the officers found 1,300 pounds of marijuana on a boat.
Sean Leon Debiase, 42, and Chet W. Hirshfield, 35 were arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance Wednesday at the Intracoastal Waterway near the Boynton inlet, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The officers were patrolling the Intracoastal when they spotted the 30-foot center console boat heading north at a slow sped with two men aboard, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The boat, which has the name "Mellow" printed on the rear, struck two sand bars and had an outboard engine tipped up and not running. The officers followed it to a nearby ramp, and asked Debiase and Hirshfield for drivers licenses, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Neither man could produce a valid registration for the boat, and when officers obtained verbal consent to search it, the pair tried to flee on foot, the office said.
Both were quickly caught by Marine Interdiction Agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection who were in the area.
When the officers searched the boat, they found the massive haul of marijuana. Debiase and Hirshfield face up to 40 years behind bars and were expected to make their first court appearances Friday. It was unknown if either has an attorney.
