A trip to the beach is supposed to be a fun-filled day in the sun and surf.
But one man got more than he bargained for when he went for a stroll.
And a Florida beachgoer made one scary discovery that left the police worried sick.
Man finds millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine on the beach
Amelia Island is located about 35 miles northeast from the center of Jacksonville, and is one of the most popular beach destinations in Florida.
A beachgoer was searching for sea turtle nests when they made a shocking find.
Seventy pounds of cocaine had washed ashore on the beach.
Police said that it had an estimated street value of $4 million.
It was wrapped in black plastic with a picture of a bald eagle on it.
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit was called after the cocaine was discovered.
Amelia Island beachgoers told News4JAX that they were stunned by the discovery of a massive quantity of cocaine.
“That’s a tremendous amount of cocaine and what is it doing this far north? So, it was a shock,” Megan Feldman said.
“We came out looking for shark teeth, but their value is not quite the street value of the other stuff that’s washing up,” South Carolina tourist Paula Johns said. “But we’re still looking for shark teeth.”
Drug trafficking in the South Florida area is common but a narcotics stash like that is rare for northeast Florida.
Cocaine with similar markings turns up in the Florida Keys
Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said the area had never seen anything quite like this before.
“It’s very rare here in Nassau County,” Leeper said. “Many years ago, there were bales of marijuana that washed up on the beach, but to my knowledge, something like this washing up is certainly a rare event.”
Authorities weren’t sure how or why the cocaine ended up on the Amelia Island beach, but Leeper had a guess.
“More than likely, it was on a boat that law enforcement or Coast Guard was getting close to and they just threw it overboard to get rid of it so they didn’t have possession of it,” Leeper explained. “The sea current just washes it up along the coastline.”
Leeper praised the community’s response to the situation in a post on social media.
“This significant seizure demonstrates the importance of community vigilance and cooperation with law enforcement. We’re grateful for the alert resident who reported this discovery. Our team is working diligently to trace the source of these drugs and keep our communities safe,” Leeper said.
Further to the south, a similar discovery was made.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported that boaters found more than 60 pounds of cocaine floating in the water off the Florida Keys.
A bald eagle identical to the one in Amelia Island was on the wrapping for this cocaine.
The Border Patrol took possession of the drugs.
Recreational boater in the Florida Keys discovers 65 lbs. of cocaine floating at sea. The cocaine has an estimated street value of over $1 million & will be seized by the U.S. #BorderPatrol. We appreciate the support from Good Samaritan’s in our community.#floridakeys #drugs pic.twitter.com/g2hQYhLATG
— Samuel Briggs II (@USBPChiefMIP) June 18, 2024
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
