Crime
Florida beachgoer finds $700,000 worth of cocaine on beach
April 27, 2023 7:50am
Updated: April 27, 2023 11:36am
A Florida beachgoer made a surprising discovery on the white sands of a Florida beach this past weekend: around 20 bricks of cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $700,000.
According to Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Miami Sector, the bricks found on Vero Beach weighed a total of 57 pounds.
The beachgoer called authorities about his find. Local authorities responded to the call reporting the drugs, collected the bricks, and handed them over to the U.S. Border Patrol for further examination.
𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒐 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝑭𝑳: Over the weekend, a Good Sam. discovered 20 bricks (57 lbs) of cocaine washed-up on the beach. Local authorities responded & turned the drugs over to #BorderPatrol custody. The drugs have an estimated street value of nearly $700,000.#Florida #Monday pic.twitter.com/5l8TyJYWBA
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) April 24, 2023
The discovery comes a few weeks after more than $100,000 worth of cocaine washed up on several beaches in Walton County, Florida.
A beachgoer found the first package in Miramar Beach on Monday, said Walton County Sheriff’s Office. The drugs were in a Ziploc bag wrapped in clear plastic. They were confiscated by the police and submitted as evidence for destruction.
Later that day, a beach goer at Gulfview Heights encountered what looked like a cocaine brick and notified the lifeguard near Ed Walline beach access. Police officers responded to the scene and retrieved the package, which was wrapped in a black bio bag. The contents of the bag tested positive for cocaine later on.
On Tuesday morning, another brick of cocaine was found at Grayton Beach State Park by another beachgoer who notified authorities. The package was collected into evidence to be destroyed.
"It’s not uncommon for Walton County Sheriff’s Office to be called to the beach for suspicious items washed ashore from the Gulf whether it be ordnance, drugs, or otherwise," the agency wrote in the Facebook post.
