If you like fishing wildlife content, be sure to subscribe to not miss out on future videos. Officers with Monroe County Sheriff's Office and FWC responded to a call from a concerned citizen claiming a man was selling seafood and other meats out of the back of his van. How are you? I'm doing great. I'm just working here. Trying to go to the bathroom and I good thing that went away somewhat, but Yeah. I'm just working the areas. These are the people I sold to yesterday. Right here was Maureen and his first name is Chuck. He's right across the street and then Uh that's Deborah who is somewhere on this side. Okay. That's uh Douglas in the beginning of the street in Old Bayview. That's Okay. I'm just working. I got you. All right. That opened up check weight it could for me. Try to what? That opened up upside down. Okay. Is it swordfish? What do you say on it? Swordfish. Well, it's also upside down and you're ruining my box. Could you please play careful with my products and and do what you need to do. If you're looking for anything there's anything wrong with the food, there's not. If anything other than food or the food, please take hurry up. Destroying my boxes for no reason. I apologize. I'll get it in a I got my problem up. I'm calm now. Yeah, please please do that. Um And he's throwing swordfish and all that at me. Operating without Transport? Hm? Just a transport? And he doesn't have any temperature gauge on that. You want to Just give us 2 seconds here, all right? He's selling seafood products. So, the advertising has uh meat. There's no He doesn't have a temperature gauge. He doesn't have any I have to I honestly have to call my lieutenant on this one. He needs X, Y, and Z. This is just like searching a a market. But, a mobile market. >> Mobile. I think so. So, if he had seafood on the side of that, we don't need any You see, you stop it. Right. But, he doesn't and gave you consent, but he has seafood in it. Yeah. Okay. And what is What kind of products does he have inside? Just swordfish or red >> and so all he tuna in there. Stuff like that. Swordfish and tuna? Yeah. Grouper top. Yeah, he said he had grouper, but he probably sold me grouper. I have to call healthy on this one. Hello. Hey, are you off? Yeah. Okay, I have a I have a question. So, sorry. So, I'm out I'm out with Far and his um his partner. They got a call of a man selling chicken and fish from his mobile van. They're out with it now. Uh [snorts] He has He's got chicken and he has like ahi tuna and swordfish in his freezer in the back of his van. So, I'm going to ask you a question about where the fish came from. Okay. Okay, so Far is from He He He gets them from South Carolina. That's what he said. Okay. Uh in order to sell saltwater product in the state of Florida to an individual he has to have a retail license. Okay. Despite where the fish came from. Despite Okay. And he has to have an SPL. Okay, and an SPL, okay. Now, you look at the paperwork and say, "Okay, where did he get this fish from?" And he has that some sort of paperwork of where it came from. Okay. And then, there's another law stating somewhere that you are not allowed to sell saltwater product out of a residential Okay. I think you did ask >> All of this are distribution. Okay. Also, what about the quality control that the freezer that it's Do we have misters meters on that? Robin, would you Because he has no temperature gauge. But he's operating as a See, this is where it gets weird because the law says that you have to have a temperature gauge at a wholesaler. Oh, okay. Okay. So, he's definitely not a wholesaler. So, that's why you're better off operating operating a wholesale dealer or out of a residential place. Even if it's a van? Even if it's a van? Um I got you on speakerphone, Arcee. Uh you're So, ultimately, a van can be a wholesale dealer. So, they can't get like a wholesale retail SPL license that's assigned to the van. And if he doesn't have one, then I'll say then I'll write him the quality control and I'll write him for Yeah, then write him the quality control cuz if he's not not like living in the van, then that means it's just a uh he's operating the van as if it is a retail. It's just a transport, really. He's not living in it. It's just a transport. >> You might want to ask him because he asked him if he's living in that. You might want to ask your partner. >> he has a cat in there. So, he has a cat in there and the front seat is a litter box filled with and butts. Amazing. So, is he selling >> Amazing. Yes. He's selling out of the van because he's he was going door-to-door selling at people's houses. That's the way they got the call cuz somebody called that in. 100% write him for no depending on what kind of licenses he has. Which he's probably not going to have any. He's not going to have any. I'll give him a ticket for not having a retail license. I'll give him a ticket for not having a saltwater products license. I'll give him a ticket for having a cat and quality control. Give him a ticket for not having a temperature gauge. And you can probably giving a ticket for not having a bill of lading. And a bill of lading is basically some sort of paperwork of where that fish came from. A bill of what now? What's it called? A bill of lading. Spell it. L A I D I N G. Lading. Okay. And ultimately, if he comes up with like a scratch piece of paper that says, "I have 20 lbs of swordfish I purchased from Fred." Then that kind is okay. He's got a a ledger of who he sold to and what he sold. But I don't know what We got to figure out where he got it from. He said South Carolina. So, we need something that says Cool. You came into the state of Florida. That means you should have that paperwork of where you where you bought it. Okay. Copy. As soon as he came into Florida, you you put yourself under our laws despite where it came from. Copy. And write him for no bill of lading because ultimately, you're telling me you got this swordfish from South Carolina. Well, you don't have that paperwork, so guess what? You're now under the jurisdiction of Florida. Copy. Yeah. Cuz if he would now if he brings out a piece of paper saying, "Okay, I bought all of this fish from an Ingles or a Publix in South Okay, cool. You have a receipt from where it came from. So either way, he has to have documentation since he's reselling it. He He needs to show documentation. Okay. And the quality control is The quality control is because he has a cat in the van? Uh And no temperature gauge? Yeah, there's a there's an actual statute for no fish in like the the fish the product I can't think of the word. terminology Uh processing plant or something like that. And where they're running a or where they actually sell it. Okay. That's where you'd find that and I'm pretty sure that is If If he's selling it out of He's got He's got brochures and stuff. If he's selling it in a in a website, um if he's selling it out of a business itself and he's just the transport man. And did he say this was his own business? No, he He's not He's not transporting. He's selling it to health food. Okay. So if he has a a place, a market at some other location um and he's just transporting what I'm referring to is let's say he has a license. Uh-huh. And let's say he gives you an SPL. Having a He's a He lives out of >> An SPL is either going to have a tag number on it for the vehicle. Okay. It's either going to have his name Copy. or it's going to have an address. Copy. That address on that SPL is only good for that address. Okay. So if the address is in like Lake Worth well, guess what? Lake Worth has an retail license, but you don't have one right now. Okay. Got it. Got it. Yeah, so he can only sell in Lake Worth. Exactly. Got it. Now he could have like a county license or he could have a license to that vehicle. He 100% could. Okay. And it would say that on the SPL if there was a vehicle registered to it. Yeah, it's going to the the location will literally be the tag number. Copy. All right. >> Um and if you got any issues or anything, just take pictures of it and send it to me and I and I can probably talk you through it. I appreciate you. I'm going to go ask some questions. No problem at All right, thank you. All right, bye. All right. What's your Relax. Relax. Chris. I'm definitely with the Sheriff's Office. Okay. Um All right. So, you are a door-to-door man? Or >> 35 years all over the country and this is my first time here. I never have to come back if you're not accepting that aspect of it. >> Well, we we just want to make sure everything is under control as far as what you're doing. Um do you have a Where Where do you store this stuff? Do you have a Is there Is a freezer here that goes to minus 40°. It's a professional freezer you'll find in a 7-Eleven >> it. It's It's that kind of crazy guy's freezer and it runs off an a inverter. An inverter is has has a On the other side of this, in between the seat, has a switch. And it And it's What do you mean? Give me the uh Do you have your card on you? Yeah. >> You want me to read it? Let me hold it. Let me hold it. Okay, just let me do this officially, okay? This doesn't mean you're in trouble. I just have to ask some questions. Go. Okay? Fine. All right, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand these rights? I understand I'll answer any question you want. I'm just doing my job. And so, you you you you will talk to me, right? >> to you. You can ask me anything you want. All right. Do you have a Do you have a license to sell this stuff? I am from North Carolina. Okay. And I mean, we have a store that has all the certificates Okay. that I obtain the product from. Okay. Uh we've been in business for 10 years. Okay. I am the the mobile guy which loaded all our customers up Thanksgiving and made a fortune. I was like, "Ah, maybe just float out for it and work a couple hours here and there, play golf, and hang out." >> I got you. And uh >> Okay, keep going. Keep talking. Keep I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt you. >> almost done. I was almost done. >> So, where do you stay at? I can't. You can't? In the van, I'm guessing? Yeah, can't. Okay. All right, cool. Uh so, you got golf clubs. That's That's a good thing to have on the road. My mind, yes. Okay. [laughter] All right. So, you and the cat travel around from South Carolina and all over the place, not just Florida. Just Well, or you come down here primarily. This far Florida, had to come close to this far Florida. I have about 100 customers in Winter Park, Florida. I have about 100 customers in Jacksonville. I just started to build a little region in Boca Raton. And since I almost had a very good time in multiple towns and sold a lot of food, I was like, "Let me go down to the Keys." So, I I was like, "Throw my mom a shower yesterday." So, I arrived and today I'm still here. Do you have any documentation you can show me where you got this food from? That's brochure would be a documentation. I have a number of a store that's still open that will verify that it came from there. And documentation of anything else wouldn't be on my person. It would be where they were obtaining and boxing the food up. And that would be the store, which is in South Carolina. What we're looking for is a salt water product license. You ever heard of that, an SPL? Ne- Ne- Never heard of an SPL? >> In where I am from, it is basically from the most reliable, most sought-after all wild-caught fish. You know what I mean? That kind of high-prestigious companies that we obtain the product from. Which I was saying I have no idea what even that is, because I'm not the person to box it up. And those Just that are of interest would be in that store where I obtained the product from. Okay. So, what what we're here for, okay, is is really you know, quality control. We want to make sure that everything is legit that's coming out of your van, so people don't get sick, things like that. Okay. She's She's She has visualized the product and it is no joke. It is the good stuff. I promise you. >> Okay. Um I'm going to poke my head in there just so I can put eyes on it. I'm not going to open anything. I just want to look at a few of these. >> Turn it so the boxes up. I'm not going to I probably won't even touch much, okay? But I do want to look. Cat's not going to bite me or something, man? >> four pieces of veal. No, Chris, that's against my policy. There's four pieces of veal that were for sale there. My personal stuff is here. I'm the only one. Swordfish steaks. Do you Do you have like a ledger of um what you have left in here? That's another part thing of my inventory. So, like when you get these boxes, are they are they saying, "All right, well, what's your first name again?" Chris. Chris. Are they saying, "Okay, Chris, you got 10 boxes of swordfish." I have something of a pickup sheet that I could show you that's on my phone. Is that acceptable? Yeah, show me what you got. >> Uh my phone is in there. That's fine, go ahead. All right, this should be inventory. I did pick up items >> I touch your phone? You can touch my phone. You can manipulate my phone. You can scroll my phone. You have club watching my phone. And if you'd like to get get my license, you'll make things happen uh quicker. I have it with There are my license. Okay. Oh, no. Is it a lot? That's so wrong. There's a lot. It's so bad. It's so bad. So, red shrimp, he's got pork chops, ribeyes, he's got salmon. Uh so, tuna, colossal shrimp, he's got scallops, mahi. So, you left You left where with all of these items? >> South Carolina. >> You left South Carolina with all these >> I'll show you. You need that? >> you use all that. The inventory sheet is a sheet of what I had on my truck before I picked up and topped my truck off, which would be something else that may or may not be there. But I also have a list of things that I've sold on there from a lot of this. Like if colossal ship does it's it says I have maybe two here, but I know I only have one because I sold one last night. Okay. All right. Um so would you do you mark it down after you sold it? You obviously you keep your ledger, yeah, right? Okay. Um You got any questions? Uh no, really you covered pretty much covered everything, but >> Okay. All right. You got his license? Yep. Okay. Um I have no warrants or anything you want to run my license since then. I won't be working anymore here, let's put that way. I'm going to go to uh Boca Raton and work there. It's not a big problem for me. You want to talk? There's what? You want to talk? Yeah, let me let me see his license real quick. Let me um just hang out with him for a second. Back to your office. Just Chris Chris relax. >> I know, hold on. Do you hear that beeping? Yeah. What's it supposed to be doing? No, I want you to turn it off. Okay. Just just relax. Put your hands down, relax. Everything that he basically just said on the phone. He's got nothing. He's got nothing. He has nothing. Zero documentation. >> Zero documentation. Okay, so we should go to my truck and you should help me start writing >> go straight to the cop. printing stuff. But that here's but that's the here's the thing, he's in North Carolina. He's in South Carolina. South Carolina. You going to arrest him or not? I don't know. Because Well then we got to call animal control and have all that fun stuff. >> Oh, very true. So we'll take a shot of him going back to work? Is that what we're going to do? No, he's got to go, I guess, huh? All right, just give us Give us a few minutes, please. Yep. LT, this guy has absolutely nothing. Uh where did you say that the fish came from? From uh he's like a transport guy for a shop a little shop up in uh South Carolina. >> South Yeah. And he drove down here just to sell the fish? And he drives all over Florida to sell the fish. Oh, amazing. Fantastic. Um Yeah, you got those violations, no SPL, no retail. You could probably get him for no wholesale. No wholesale? Maybe. You might get him to be able to get him for no wholesale, but there's no retail seller. Um then you can do the quality control stuff. And what is the fish like packaged in? In a box and I mean, it's it's package looks like it's it's legit packaged with uh what what It had like He he It's like um vacuum-sealed packaging. And he also has He said that he has personal items in the freezer as well. Like his veal is his own. He doesn't sell it. Okay. Um Did the guy give you the name of the company? Uh do you want to go grab my brochure? >> me grab the brochure. Hold on. Um he's got a brochure. Just give me a give me a second cuz I want to Google it, too. Um Yeah. But he just told me to go on Google and and Google it and he's got five-star reviews and all kinds of fun stuff. Yeah, awesome. You don't have a license, though. Right. He said that the they have all of that back in South Carolina. Well, it's not here, so guess what? >> Right, he has to have that physically on his person, correct? Yep, 100%. It has to be there per Florida statute. And again, if they have it in South Carolina. Well, you're not in South Carolina. Right. Sorry. And I highly doubt he drove from South Carolina. Went door to door the entire way selling swordfish. Right. Also, all sources of contamination, flies, dust. So, let's put it Okay, so it's called Gourmet South Meat Market, Fort Mill, South Carolina. Okay. Yes, you can Yes, sir. Yes, it's right here. Hey, you can look that up in the commercial licensing system. Okay. >> Supervisory. And there was no thermometer at all in there? None. Okay. Um, she just has to take pictures. Okay. I'm going to let you know now, this we've got violations. We have We have Listen. I said We have violations. This is arrestable. I'm not taking you to jail. Hey. I'm not taking you to jail. I'm not leaving your cat lonely. I'm not going to mess with your food or take your food. I'm not doing any of that stuff, okay? You're going to go free. You should Okay. >> But But this is arrestable. It's going to be a written arrest, okay? You've got saltwater fish in there, okay? You You need to have basically that piece of paper when you get your SPL, well, if you're going to run mobilely the address will be your vehicle tag, okay? So, when you go and obtain that later on down the road if you want to keep doing this, especially in the state of Florida. I don't know what it's like in the Carolinas, but as soon as you cross the border to the state of Florida, you got to follow the state of Florida's rules, okay? I haven't been encountered by anybody up this point since three years, but I appreciate you and I Okay. I I see that, but I'm just letting you know, you got to follow by the rules of the state of Florida, okay? So, you need to obtain that SPL. Get me 10 years coming up. You got to have a list of a of okay, I I got the swordfish from this person and I have this much swordfish and I have sold this much swordfish. Okay, you got to have paperwork. You got to have a paper trail. You got to have a better paper trail than notes on your phone and a written ledger. Okay, we've got to have something. Okay, um if you're going to be a mobile unit, you cannot have your cat in the car. Okay, that's a sanitation thing. >> one there? He has another one. Okay, and you need to have a temperature gauge on that cooler. You got to have one on there. Just for simple easy ingredients because this is just manufactured by the actual factory that doesn't have one. And I have do have not to do anything with a laser. It's got to be affixed to the cooler. >> It's a cooler. So, I have to have somebody install that in that cooler. Yes, you got to have something better than that's not in there. By the way, did you you understand I never have to come to Florida again in my life? Perfect. Except for you do have to come to Florida one more time because you got a court date, okay, on December 23rd at 8:45 down here at the 88 mile marker 2 miles up the road. December 23rd, 2024 at 8:45 in front of Judge Hamilton up here. Okay, that is the only time if you don't want to come back to Florida after that, that's up to you. Um I'll say one but you need to come back to that otherwise a a warrant's issued and it's a quick pick up. Okay, do you understand that? Um those are all your charges. Once again, this is arrestable, but I do not want to take you away, have your food spoil, have your cat get put away as well and then you have to deal with getting I'm trying to be nice about it. Okay? Um you understand everything I explained to you, right? The time on the 23rd is what? 8:45 in the morning. If you have any questions, okay, and concern about that making that date, okay? There I'm getting a continuance. Our flight is full. You know what I'm saying? You you can call You can call and ask, okay? Reason up for I'm brainstorming out myself. I got you. You You got to It's Christmas time and I sell seafood from everything and I have to deliver roasts to people. I have to do it and I'm coming down here and getting away from Charlotte, North Carolina. Can be a continuance to the You're traveling, man. I got it. Okay? Just I need a continuance You articulate that via this phone number. You articulate that via this phone number. Call the phone number. Okay? Monday morning, call the phone number, okay? This is Monday morning? Yes, yes. Okay? Cuz my paperwork will be turned in, okay? I'm going to hand you this. This is the same piece of paper as what you're signing. I'm going to have you sign here for what I handed you, okay? This signature is not an admission of guilt. It's an understanding that you have a court date. Do you understand? I understand. Can I get your signature? Sure you can. Did you get what Yeah, I'll see I don't know what the month Did you get the little box? Yes. Okay. We're good. Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Chris? Only question, do I have my license back or do something? Oh, I got to get it off the computer. Let me grab that real quick. Of course you need that. You are a free man. Okay? You can uh back out and just don't hit the FWC truck. I Don't come down here and sell seafood. I'm going to tell you that. Thank you. I get it. Okay? No problem. All right. I'm not selling. Uh we just don't want you to get caught again. I don't have I I I have I can go to Winn-Dixie and I can have a lock on the door. Actually, I got 100 bucks right here. Like I said, just get the paperwork done properly just in case this happens again, okay? Okay, sir. That's what we prefer. Thank you, sir. In the end, the suspect was charged with improper freezing equipment, animals in production plants, no saltwater products license, violating saltwater products transport regulations, failure to have a saltwater wholesale dealer's license, and failure to have a saltwater retail dealer's license. After an initial plea of not guilty, he later played no contest to all six charges. He was sentenced to a total of 18 months of probation and ordered to pay $423 in costs and fines. On February 10th, 2026, a warrant was issued for his arrest. If you like this video and want to see more like it, subscribe to Arrest Cam. As always, thanks for watching.