It sounds like the plot of a modern crime drama, but it’s very real. In 2015, contractors working off Florida’s Treasure Coast as salvage operators for a company hunting for lost historical artifacts once contained in sunken Spanish fleets made a remarkable discovery: 101 gold coins.

Authorities have recovered 37 gold coins that were stolen by salvagers from a nearly 310-year-old shipwreck off of Florida’s coast

A professional treasure hunter has been charged in the theft of the 37 gold coins stolen from the wreckage of the 1715 Treasure Fleet.

The gold items are from the 1715 Fleet, a collection of Spanish treasure ships that sank during a hurricane off Florida’s coast in 1715. The artifacts are protected by state and federal law, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says. FWC photo

Part of a trove of gold coins stolen from a fleet of Spanish shipwrecks off the Florida coast has been recovered, and one of the family members who originally recovered the treasure is facing charges.

After an extensive investigation, Florida officials recovered dozens of gold coins valued at more than $1 million that were stolen from a shipwreck recovery nine years ago.

Florida authorities announced a collection of 37 gold coins that had been stolen from an 18th Century shipwreck and valued at around $1 million were recovered. A professional treasure hunter has been charged with dealing in stolen property in connection with the case,

Authorities have retrieved 37 gold coins after they were stolen by salvaging robbers from a centuries-old shipwreck off the coast of Florida, reported the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.