Additional Coverage:
- Hurricane Debby blows cocaine worth over $1 million onto beach in Florida Keys, U.S. Border Patrol says (newsbreak.com)
Hurricane Debby landed in Florida not only bringing intense winds and storm surges but also delivering cocaine packages valued over $1 million, as authorities reported. After hitting Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and later downgrading to a tropical storm, the hurricane resulted in these narcotics washing ashore in the Florida Keys, according to U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Patrol Agent Samuel Briggs II, who shared the news on social media.
Briggs revealed that a total of 25 packages of cocaine, weighing around 70 pounds, were found on a beach in the Florida Keys. He also shared photos of the discovered packages. The drugs, valued at over $1 million, were discovered by a concerned citizen who promptly alerted the authorities.
This incident is part of a recent series of drug findings close to Florida shores, a region near to Caribbean drug transit routes that lead from South America to the U.S. and Europe. Previously in June, boaters near the Florida Keys stumbled upon 65 pounds of cocaine floating in the ocean, noted Briggs.
Earlier the same month, divers discovered 25 kilograms of cocaine submerged about 100 feet underwater off Key West. The following day, the same amount was found washed up on Dauphin Island, Alabama.
In May, a beachgoer in the Florida Keys found approximately $1 million worth of cocaine. Further, in 2023, numerous packages of cocaine valued over $100,000 washed up on various Florida beaches. In an unrelated incident last year, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor found 70 pounds of cocaine while fishing with her family.
Additionally, in 2019, the impact of Hurricane Dorian on Florida’s coast led to the discovery of cocaine bricks on two separate beaches.