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Once considered a problem primarily plaguing Florida’s east coast, human smuggling is now a growing concern on the Gulf Coast as well, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

The Sheriff’s Office seized three boats believed to be used for human smuggling in just over three hours on Tuesday morning. Five men from the Miami area, who were all born in Cuba, were arrested in the three separate incidents, arrest reports indicate.

Another boat believed to be involved with human smuggling was also seized by deputies about two weeks ago, the Sheriff’s Office reported. In total seven boats believed to be involved in human smuggling have been seized in the last two months, authorities said Wednesday.

"It’s definitely increased in the past six months to a year," said Cmdr. Rod Bishop of the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division, at a news conference Wednesday. "I’d say we do have a definite interest in the increased amount of activity in our county."

The first boat was seized around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday when deputies saw a vehicle towing a 36-foot Deep Impact vessel south on Desoto Boulevard near Second Street Southeast in Golden Gate Estates.

The trailer tag was expired, the Sheriff’s Office reported, and the vehicle was pulled over.

Investigators learned that the $200,000 boat had been purchased in Miami using a stolen identity. Authorities believe the boat is used to carry smuggled passengers.

The driver of the vehicle, Lazaro Ivan Prieto, 40, and the passenger, Yoan C. Estenoz, 33, both of Miami, were arrested and charged with grand theft over $100,000 and dealing in stolen property.

Just over an hour later deputies stopped a large truck towing a 29-foot Renegade vessel near the 99 mile marker of Interstate 75 after it failed to switch lanes when an emergency vehicle was in the emergency lane with its lights activated, officials said.

The two men towing the boat, Jose Siles Baez, 41, and Felix Hernandez, 43, both of Hialeah, told deputies they had just picked the boat up in Cape Coral and were taking it back to Miami, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

A deputy at the scene noticed the smell of gas around the front of the vessel, and soon discovered the boat was carrying 10 life jackets, had a false floor and additional fuel valves. Those valves led the deputy to an added fuel cell in the bow of the boat carrying 100 gallons of fuel. The cell was improperly ventilated, had not been inspected and was dangerous, authorities said.

The deputy also found fingerprints on the side pads of the boat, as if someone had been getting into the boat from the water side, an arrest report said. There were also footprints all over the inside of the boat and fingerprints all over the radar arch that indicated several people were holding on at one time.

Baez and Hernandez were arrested and charged with the unlawful conveyance of fuel.

Around 11 a.m. a deputy stopped a pickup towing a 32-foot Carrera go-fast boat near the 105 mile marker of Interstate 75 for a traffic infraction, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Inside the boat deputies found 110 bottles and cans of water and soda. They also found numerous boxes of cookies, crackers and Cuban pastries hidden in a front storage compartment, and three fishing poles that were not properly equipped for fishing in salt water, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

The boat also had an added fuel cell loaded with fuel that was not properly ventilated and had not been inspected.

The driver towing the truck, Miguel Hernandez, 31, of Homestead told deputies he recently picked the boat up from a friend and was going fishing in Bonita Springs. He was arrested and charged with the unlawful conveyance of fuel, the Sheriff’s Office reported.

Deputies also seized a 32-foot Donzi after a traffic stop on June 6, the Sheriff’s Office reported. The man towing the boat, Mario Rojas-Santana, 45, of Miami was not the registered owner of the boat and provided a suspicious explanation of how he came into possession of it.

The boat was impounded, officials said.

A few days later Rojas-Santana arrived at the Sheriff’s Office and tried to use a fraudulent driver license to get the boat back. Rojas-Santana was arrested and charged with grand theft, dealing in stolen property and obtaining and using a driver license by fraud.

Increased pressure by law enforcement on the east coast has resulted in more smugglers attempting to bring people ashore on the Gulf Coast, said Sgt. Joseph Kelly, also of the Criminal Investigations Division. Sheriff’s deputies have been trained to identify boats that could possibly be used for human smuggling, he said.

"We’ve educated our staff of what to look for," Kelly said. "They haven’t been here as much as they are now. We’re looking harder. We’re finding more."

Smugglers typically charge up to $10,000 to transport a person from Cuba to Florida, and squeeze as many as 30 people on a boat, authorities said. Some boats used in human smuggling are used to carry people, while others are used as refueling boats.

"It’s a huge problem statewide, not just in Collier County," Kelly said. "The sheriff has ordered us to step it up, and that’s what we’re doing."

Around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, 22 Cuban refugees came ashore on Sanibel Island in Lee County. It was the second landing of Cubans on the island in eight days, authorities said.

Under the U.S. "wet foot-dry foot" policy, Cubans who reach U.S. soil generally are allowed to stay in the country. If they are intercepted before reaching land, they are to be returned to Cuba, according to the policy.

Kelly said it is unclear if any of the boats seized on Tuesday were used to smuggle the groups onto Sanibel Island or if they had been used in any specific landings on the Gulf Coast.

The boats have been impounded as evidence in criminal cases, Kelly said, and could be subject to forfeiture.