The famed shark angler Mark “The Shark” Quartiano has been featured on dozens of reality shows and is known for being a prolific slayer of wildlife. But this week Quartiano caught something that even he was surprised by… a kilo of cocaine.
The waters off the coast of Florida are among common drug smuggling routes so it’s not too surprising that a package of contraband would show up now and again. The longtime Florida angler said he’s found a fair amount of marijuana floating in the ocean but never a bundle of cocaine like this, he told the Miami New Times.
Of course, we all know about his find so there’s no way the charter captain could have pocketed the loot and partied harder than a Miami drug kingpin. He also had a crew of paying passengers on board so that idea was definitely out of the question.
Quartiano filmed their approach to the object and subsequent retrieval. They apparently had called the Coast Guard before they even got it out of the water. If it’s cash, Quartiano says he may be entitled to some of it as a finder’s fee of sorts.
“It’s worth a lot of money street value,” Quartiano told the New Times, then playfully added, “I could use some renovations for my boat. We’ll see.”
Quartiano is well known for his television appearances on a variety of network programs. He has also counted as customers a number of Hollywood celebrities including Rosie O’Donnel, Will Smith and Robert De Niro.
Lately, however, the old-school angler has been taking heat from conservationists. By his own admission, Quartiano has slayed more than 1,000 sharks.
