October 27, 2008


Boat thefts become big problem in parts of Fla.

Many stolen vessels used to smuggle Cubans

By DENES HUSTY III
dhusty@news-press.com

While on a deer hunting trip in Nebraska last weekend, John Larsen started getting text messages telling him his boat behind his house on Marco Island was sailing away.

The messages from the global positioning system on the vessel told him to get on his computer, where he was able to track his $250,000, 34-foot, triple-engine boat with help of a satellite mapping system.

“I called 911 and told the police the boat was rounding the corner of my canal and headed for the Marco River,â€