Sixty-five pounds of cocaine, worth over a million dollars, was seized by authorities after boaters found it floating in the Florida Keys.
Pictures of the huge haul showed around 21 individually wrapped packages decorated with a large image of a North American bald eagle.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), sailors on a private vessel encountered the packages in the water seven miles off Islamorada, an archipelago south of Miami, on Saturday.
It was suspected that the packages contained cocaine, which was later confirmed by the US Border Patrol.
Samuel Briggs, USBP deputy chief patrol agent, said the estimated street value of the drugs is over $1 million.
Recreational boater discovers 65 pounds of cocaine in the sea in the Florida Keys. The cocaine has an estimated street value of over $1 million and is confiscated by the US #BorderProtectionWe appreciate the support of the Good Samaritans in our community.#FloridaKey #Drugs pic.twitter.com/g2hQYhLATG
— Samuel Briggs II (@USBPChiefMIP) June 18, 2024
Briggs shared a video with X showing officers confiscating the packages. “We are grateful for the support of the Good Samaritans in our community,” he wrote.
This is the third large drug shipment seized in the area in the last two months.
In early June, the MCSO announced that 25 kilograms of individually packaged suspected cocaine had been found by divers about 30 meters underwater in Key Largo, Florida.
The packages contained counterfeit images of the Nike sportswear logo and were also confiscated by border police.
According to the MCSO, the divers said they were removing what they believed to be trash when they made the discovery.
The sheriff’s office handed over the suspected narcotics to the U.S. Border Patrol.
CBS Miami In May, it was also reported that a beachgoer found another package containing 65 pounds of cocaine after it washed up on the Florida Keys.
Authorities estimated the value of this find to be around $1 million.
