Three suspected trap robbers wearing wet suits and working at night without lights narrowly escaped disaster last week when a federal law enforcement vessel on routine patrol roared past them in the darkness.

"Nobody was hurt, but it could have easily been a triple fatality," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Bobby Dube said Tuesday.

The crew on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 40-foot vessel was on routine patrol about 3 a.m. Dec. 9 less than a mile off the ocean side of Tavernier when it came within feet of striking the 18-foot open fishing boat, Dube said. Having caught sight of an object as they passed, agents returned to determine what they almost hit.

The agents told state wildlife officers they saw the men toss lobsters overboard, Dube said.

When questioned, the three men -- Yudani Fonte, 35, of Key Largo; Lazaro Hernandez, 21, of Tavernier; and Osbel Robaina-Malagon, 20, of Tavernier -- said they were fishing, Dube said. But when agents found only one fishing rod and a gaff that could be used for pulling lobster or stone crab traps, they called state officers, Dube said. The men and the boat also were covered in mud -- an indication they may have been pulling lobster traps, he said.

Officers found one undersized lobster on board, charging all three men with misdemeanor possession of an undersized crawfish. The suspects also were cited for fishing without a license, operating a vessel with no lights and not having a fire extinguisher, Dube said. They were given warning citations for not having their registration and improperly displaying their registration numbers.

Commercial fishermen and wildlife officials agree that a series of arrests in recent months are having a beneficial effect on a fishing season that began as one of the worst in memory for trap-robbing.

In September, state officers, assisted by commercial fishermen, charged Carlos Almenares Blanco, 42, and Juan Morales, 65, both of Miami, with two felony counts of molesting lobster traps near Duck Key. Their arrest came three days after another alert commercial fisherman armed with a video camera helped arrest two alleged trap robbers in Key Largo. Ruben Barbusino, 61, and Daniel Peralta, 51, both of Key Largo, were charged with one count of trap molestation.

Michael Cavagnaro and his son also were nabbed in August. The elder was a Key Largo Fire EMS District commissioner.

Since the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association began using high-powered telescopes and hiring private pilots to help catch trap robbers, the problem has declined, board member Jeff Cramer said.

"I think they're getting paranoid," Cramer said of potential trap robbers. "When we get robbed, we'll stake out an area. And since those arrests made the paper, it seems like we haven't had as much lobster theft."

Cramer, who fishes from Islamaroda to Marathon, now has his sights on the Sandy Key area, where stone crab traps have been hit recently, he said.

"We'll get a couple [of fishermen] out there and that's what makes the difference," he said.

Dube urged people to report trap robbing at 305-289-2320.

alinhardt@keysnews.com