Operation Everglades
| Operation Everglades | |
|---|---|
| Operation name | Operation Everglades |
| Participants | |
| Executed by | U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) |
| Countries participating | United States |
| Timeline | |
| Date executed | 1981–1984 |
Operation Everglades was a large American drug interdiction operation in Collier County, Florida, that took place between 1981 and 1984, during the "war on drugs".
Operation
During July 1981 Operation Everglades was implemented to identify and neutralize marijuana drug traffickers operating along the southwest coast of Florida. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Coast Guard, U.S. Customs Service, Internal Revenue Service, and the Collier County Sheriff's Office joined in this investigation.[1]
The operation was centred on Everglades City, Florida, a city surrounded by miles of waterways surrounded by mangrove forest and nearby Chokoloskee, Florida, an unincorporated island community. In the early 1980s the National Park Service announced it would ban commercial fishing in Everglades National Park from 1986, which led to economic uncertainty for the local residents.[2] Residents, knowing the waterways, began drug running for Jamaican and Mexican cartels, sailing on fishing boats out to meet motherships to smuggle square grouper, earning up to US$10,000 a night.[3][4] They dubbed themselves, "Saltwater Cowboys".[5] In April 1983, Deputy Saunders of Collier County estimated that up to 225 of the 534 city residents were suspected of taking part in the smuggling.[6]
Phase I of the operation was executed early morning on July 7, 1983. Authorities blocked off Florida State Road 29, the only entrance to the communities, and carried out arrest warrants, leading to the arrest of 39 defendants.[7][1] Phase II was initiated immediately thereafter, and was concluded on June 29, 1984 with the arrest of 40 defendants.[1] As part of Phase II, a DEA undercover vessel accepted delivery of 24,000 pounds of marijuana from a violator's mothership in April 1984. In May, the undercover agents met with the traffickers and brokers and arrested nine violators, six of whom were leaders of the drug organization.[1] The joint federal, state, and county investigation resulted in arrests or indictments of 256 people, almost 80% of the adult male population. More than 580,000 pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of more than $252 million, were seized, along with cars, boats, and property worth more than $5 million.[8][9][7][4]
Phase III of Operation Everglades, now called Operation Trident, continued into 1986, where the State of Florida established a proprietary business.[1]
Reaction
Locals of Everglades City criticised the operation calling it a publicity stunt designed to humiliate the town.[3][7]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Federal Drug Enforcement Progress Report, National Drug Enforcement Policy Board, United States Department of Justice, 1986, p. 40
- ^ "Florida town struggles with drugs". The New York Times. October 7, 1984. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ^ a b Kleinberg, Eliot (2006). Weird Florida II : in a state of shock. Internet Archive. Cocoa, FL : Chapin House. pp. 81–83. ISBN 978-0-9771079-3-3.
- ^ a b Feldmar, Jamie (March 7, 2017). "The Crab-Fishing Drug King of Everglades City". Saveur.
- ^ Batten, Brent. "Operation Everglades stands out in Everglades City's problem-plagued past". Naples Daily News.
- ^ "Everglades city shifts from fishing to drugs". The New York Times. August 15, 1982. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c Fishlock, Trevor (1987). The state of America. Internet Archive. London: Faber. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-571-14873-8.
- ^ "July 7, 1983 - 'Operation Everglades' drug bust rocks Everglades City". Florida History Network - Your one-stop source for celebrating and preserving Florida's past, today.
- ^ "Drug smuggling". Official website. From Territories to Today: Fort Myers Division – Drug Smuggling. United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
Further reading
- "28 Suspects Arrested In Florida Drug Raid". The New York Times. July 8, 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- Chiles, Lawton (July 28, 1983). "Drug operation rated a success". The Herald Observer. pp. 4–5.
- Fuss, Charles M. (1996). Sea of grass : the maritime drug war, 1970-1990. Internet Archive. Annapolis, Md. : Naval Institute Press. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-55750-276-6.
- Victoria Macchi (June 25, 2011). "'Saltwater Cowboys' reunite, speak bluntly about drug smuggling past". Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida.
This article incorporates public domain material from Federal Drug Enforcement Progress Report. United States Department of Justice. 1986.