Crews raise sunken fishing boats owned by ‘The Codfather’

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. – Two sunken boats owned by an imprisoned fishing magnate have been raised to the surface at a Massachusetts wharf.

Edward Anthes-Washburn, executive director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, says the Dinah Jane was raised Monday, while the Nemesis was raised last weekend.

Both vessels sank Feb. 4 while tied together at Homer’s Wharf in New Bedford. The U.S. Coast Guard is still investigating why the boats sank.

The boats are part of “The Codfather” Carlos Rafael’s fleet. Rafael, the owner of one of the nation’s largest commercial fishing operations, is serving a nearly four-year prison sentence for evading fishing quotas and smuggling money.

.