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Stock Island Soca clan bust may be county’s largest drug case – Cops find drugs, cash, and undersized lobster

February 7, 2014

A group of people posing for the camera - Florida Keys — Local law enforcement discovered cocaine, crack, cash, pills, cash and undersized lobster tails at the Soca’s Stock Island compound last week. Some of the contraband was buried in pipes in the backyard and law enforcement officials used dogs and heavy equipment to gather the evidence.

In a case law enforcement says should finally dismantle the ongoing criminal operation run by a local Stock Island family, agencies working together arrested three family members and seized large quantities of drugs, property, cash and 500 undersized lobster tail.

63 year old Juan Soca Sr., 42 year old Juan Soca Jr. and 38 year old Jose Soca were all arrested Wednesday night at their family compound – two trailers located side by side at 6451 6^th Street on Stock Island. Search warrants were obtained for the property after Socha Jr. sold 1.5 ounces of cocaine to a law enforcement undercover operative. The drug sale took place Tuesday near Stock Island Lobster Company where Soca has a commercial fishing vessel.

compound web — The Soca family drug bust maybe one of the largest take-downs in Monroe County history.

Jones web — High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Detective Mark Jones holds up drugs found in pipes buried in the yard. Drugs were found in many areas of the property including hidden compartments and false electrical boxes.

“This is not the first time we have served drug related search warrants on the Soca property,” said Sheriff Rick Ramsay. “But we are going to do everything we can to make sure it is the last. The drug activity by these members of the Soca family is a danger to everyone in our county. The detectives who worked on this case – from multiple agencies – did an outstanding job of stopping these criminals from their ongoing efforts to distribute large amounts of illegal narcotics. This operation will really make a dent in the drug activity in our community.”

As of Thursday afternoon, local police and Monroe County prosecutor were traveling back from a meeting with the US Attorney’s Office to discuss whether they case would be tried on a local or federal level.

“We will be involved one way or another,” said Monroe County State Attorney Catherine Vogel. Mark Wilson, a prosecutor in her office is also cross-designated as a US Attorney and will be working the case.

Juan Soca Jr. has been charged so far with trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in Oxycodone. His bond is currently set at $6 million. Juan Soca Sr. has been charged so far with trafficking in cocaine. His bond is currently set at $1 million. Jose Soca has been charged so far with trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in oxycodone, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possessing the short lobster tails, which were found on his property. His bond is currently set at $6.055 million.

The Seizure

• 10 kilos of cocaine

• 2,100 Xanax bars

• 1,300 Oxycodone pills

• 7.5-gram crack cookie

• 688 undersized lobster tails

• $252,261 in suspected drug proceeds