Rembish-Russell

Fishing couple reels in lots of cash

KEY WEST, Fla. -- A young couple fishing in the Florida Keys reeled in a big one -- a leather bag with about $80,000 inside.

The couple, visiting from Vero Beach, Fla., found the bag floating south of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys on Saturday. And they can keep the money inside if the owner doesn't claim it in three months, authorities said.

"They saw a baseball cap floating out there, and they were going to retrieve the baseball cap, and they found a little leather bag," said George Rogers, head of the U.S. Customs Service in Key West.

The couple called the FBI, who contacted Customs.

"It's either drug money or alien smuggling money," Rogers said. "It was soaked, it had been floating in the water for a while."

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is holding the cash. State seizure rules allow people who find unclaimed property to keep it if the legitimate owner doesn't come forth in 90 days.

Sheriff's Sgt. Bobby Randolph said the couple -- who recently had a baby -- don't want to be identified.

Several people have called to claim the money, but none was legitimate, Randolph said.