Hurricane Debby blows $1 million worth of cocaine onto Florida beach
Officials reported that more than $1 million worth of cocaine washed up on a Florida Keys beach after Hurricane Debby struck the Gulf Coast's Big Bend on Monday morning.
The US Border Patrol stated that Debby, which hit land as a Category 1 hurricane early in the morning, brought ashore over two dozen 70-pound packages of cocaine as winds exceeded 80 miles per hour.
“Hurricane Debby brought 25 packages of cocaine (70 lbs.) onto a Florida Keys beach,” stated Samuel Briggs II, acting chief patrol agent of the US Border Patrol, in a social media post.
Briggs shared photos of the taped-up bricks of cocaine which featured a glowing red triangular symbol on them.
A beachgoer found the drugs — wrapped in a trash bag — among seaweed, leaves, and other debris washed ashore, according to photos shared in response to Briggs' post.
The man contacted authorities about the washed-up stash and the US Border Patrol seized the pricey packages.
Bricks of cocaine and other drugs frequently wash up on southern Florida beaches as smugglers traffic the illegal substances from South America to the US.