Over $2 million worth of cocaine washes ashore in Florida Keys 

Several packages containing more than $2 million worth of cocaine washed up in the Florida Keys this week, reported the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on Monday. 

The 10 packages containing wrapped bundles of cocaine were found by a resident walking on the beach near Long Beach Road in Big Pine Keys at around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, authorities said. The packages weighed around 75 pounds. 

“When the tide went down, of course, here’s this black-wrapped brick,” said the man who found the packages, asking not to be identified.

“I put gloves on and put it on there. I said, ‘Oh, this feels like bricks.’ And right away called police and out they came,” the good samaritan said.

An additional 25 pounds weighing around 70 pounds were also discovered nearby on Monday at around 6 p.m. by a boater, police added. A man was on a boat with his friend when he spotted something out of the ordinary. 

“As we got closer, I was the one who saw the two ropes on it. And there’s a term known down here: square grouper, right?” the unidentified man said.

Over the weekend, Good Samaritans discovered suspicious packages that washed-up in the #FloridaKeys. The packages contained 146 lbs. of cocaine & were turned over to #BorderPatrol custody. The drugs have an estimated street value of $2.3 million.#BreakingNews #DrugDiscovery pic.twitter.com/LyfToLI6EN

— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) January 24, 2023

The drugs were handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol, who opened an investigation into the drug smuggling case. It is unclear where the drugs came from. 

“Thanks to these good Samaritans, $2 million worth of cocaine is off our streets and now out of the community,” said Acting Division Chief Adam Hoffner. “We don’t know what’s in these packages, so it’s really important to immediately contact law enforcement.”