Visitors to one of Florida’s many coastal locations recently may have been surprised to stumble upon illicit packages as they walked along the beach.
Some $1 million worth of cocaine packages washed up on Florida beaches, and speculation was that tides from recent storms led them to their unusual destination.
Debby Devastation
Hurricane Debby hit the south-east of the US early this month, causing chaos across several states.
Over a period of multiple days, the hurricane caused torrential floods, storms, and the conditions it created led to tornadoes.
Large Quantity of Drugs
A large volume of drugs were discovered in Florida in the weeks following the storm, with a notable pair of finds reported by Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
In total, over the 2 hauls, the weight of the cocaine added up to over 100 pounds.
Flotsam and Jetsam
The first set of packages was discovered by a citizen taking a stroll along a beach at Islamorada, in the Florida Keys.
The 25 packages were estimated by officers to be worth around $1 million in street value.
Buoyant Packages
The next group of packages were found further offshore by a group of boaters, floating in the ocean.
These were reported by the Sheriff’s Office a week after the first batch was discovered on the beach.
Microwave Box
The second batch of cocaine packages were arranged in a box shape, around the size of a microwave.
This amount of drugs was estimated as having a street value of around $625,000, bringing the total value of the fortnight’s haul to over $1.6 million.
Floating For Some Time
The package had likely remained undiscovered for some time before the boaters came across it.
The package had deteriorated somewhat, and it was covered in a layer of barnacles.
Good Samaritans
The police were quick to thank the civilians whose first thought had been to contact the authorities when they discovered the packages.
“We appreciate the help of Good Samaritans in our community who saw something unusual and contacted law enforcement,” said Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk.
Square Grouper
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office used an old slang phrase to make a playful link to earlier drug finds in a Facebook post.
“The find was reminiscent of the ‘square grouper’ marijuana smuggling days in Collier County during the 1970s and 1980s but uncommon for today,” they said.
Why Were the Drugs Dumped?
There are several reasons drugs might end up in the ocean, rather than in the hands of their intended recipients.
They may have been thrown overboard by smugglers attempting to evade prosecution for possession, or left floating in specific areas for other smugglers to receive, before they were taken away by unexpected currents.
