Dozens of boaters find propellers missing. Clues lead to Florida scrapyard, cops say

A propeller theft ring has been busted in Florida, involving tens of thousands of dollars worth of high-end boat propellers taken over a three-month period, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says.

Three suspects, arrested Dec. 15, have been linked “to 61 missing boat propellers valued at nearly $73,000,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. St. Lucie County is about 110 miles north of Miami.

“At the time of their arrest, the suspects were attempting to sell parts from a stolen Volvo Penta Outdrive to a local scrap yard. The victim in this case reported the property stolen (Dec. 13),” Sheriff Ken Mascara said in the release.

“Sadly, what we see with most thieves is a nexus to drug use, and the value of the property stolen is sold for pennies on the dollar to fuel their drug use. In this case, the approximate value of each propeller is $1,200, and these thieves sold them for $126 on average.”

The trio was taken into custody at a Fort Pierce recycling center known to buy metals, including lead and zinc.

Metals used in commercial boat propellers “are typically made from either a stainless steel alloy, a nickel-aluminum-bronze alloy, or a manganese bronze alloy,” according to HS Marine Propulsion LLC.

Investigators say the thefts occurred between Sept. 22 and Dec. 14. So far, only eight of the 61 missing propellers have been recovered.

All three suspects — two men and a woman — are from Fort Pierce. The men face multiple charges of dealing in stolen property and providing false information to a secondhand dealer, officials said.

The woman “has been arrested for burglary and grand theft,” officials said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Dozens of boaters find propellers missing. Clues lead to Florida scrapyard, cops say."