Boaters Find $1 Million Worth of Cocaine Floating Off Florida Keys

Traffic rolls on the Seven Mile Bridge in Marathon, Fla., on Sept. 19, 2017. (Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau via Getty Images)

Recreational boaters have discovered 65 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of about $1 million, floating in the Florida Keys, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Samuel Briggs II, the acting chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol, announced the discovery in a post on the social media platform X on June 18.

A video shared alongside the announcement shows the packages of cocaine, which were wrapped in clear material and emblazoned with the image of a bald eagle, being wheeled away on a cart by officers.

After discovery, the drugs were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, its acting chief patrol agent said.

Mr. Briggs II did not say exactly when the drugs were found or offer further details.

“We appreciate the support from Good Samaritans in our community,” he wrote.

The Epoch Times has contacted a U.S. Border Patrol spokesperson for further comment.

In a post on Facebook on June 16, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said “Mariners in a private vessel found a package containing approximately 21 individually wrapped kilograms of suspected cocaine,” at 12 p.m. a day prior.

The discovery was made roughly seven miles off Islamorada in Florida, the sheriff’s office said.

An image shared alongside that post also showed what appeared to be an identical package of illicit drugs wrapped in clear material and emblazoned with an image of a bald eagle.

More Cocaine Discovered in Florida Waters

Also, on June 19, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said an individual who had been removing trash at the beach near Mile Marker 92 on the oceanside in Key Largo, Monroe County, had “located a single brick of suspected cocaine at approximately 10:10 a.m” the day prior.

An image shared alongside the post showed the suspected cocaine again wrapped in clear paper. This time, however, instead of a bald eagle, an image of a black dog was printed on the front alongside the word “pinky.”

Again, the suspected narcotics were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The recent illicit drug discoveries are just the latest to be reported in Florida waters.

Earlier this month, scuba divers found 25 kilograms of suspected cocaine approximately 100 feet underwater off Key West, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Divers with the Rainbow Reef Dive Center in Key Largo told law enforcement officials that they were removing trash when they found the suspected drugs, which were then handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol, the Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.

In that instance, an image released by the sheriff’s office showed packages in clear wrapping and marked with  “Nike SB,” in an apparent imitation of the iconic footwear brand’s line of skateboarding shoes.

A string of cocaine discoveries have also been made in Florida waters in recent years, including in August last year when Jane Castor, the mayor of Tampa, discovered 70 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately $1.1 million floating in the Atlantic Ocean during a fishing trip alongside her family.

A year prior in October, Department of Homeland Security agents began investigating 50 packages of cocaine worth an estimated $1.7 million that washed up on Vero Beach, Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.