Hurricane Debby not only ravaged the Southeast with severe destruction but also left behind over 100 pounds of narcotics along Florida's coast, authorities report.
On August 4, 25 packages containing approximately 70 pounds of cocaine were discovered on a beach in Islamorada, Florida Keys, about 80 miles from Key West. The cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $1 million, was found by a Good Samaritan who alerted U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A week later, on August 11, authorities in Collier County reported finding another substantial cache of cocaine near Everglades City. This batch, estimated to be worth more than $500,000, was found floating near Panther Key. Boaters, who reported the discovery, found 56 pounds of cocaine packaged in a container roughly the size of a microwave oven, with 25 individually wrapped kilograms inside.
Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk praised the boaters for their vigilance. The package showed signs of having been in the water for some time, suggesting it had drifted from a distant location. The discovery echoed the "square grouper" marijuana smuggling incidents of the 1970s and 1980s, a term describing bales of drugs wrapped in plastic.
Local law enforcement is investigating the origins of the narcotics, with initial findings suggesting that the drugs likely washed in from the east coast due to the storm's impact. Drug smugglers sometimes jettison their cargo to avoid detection or seizure, and ocean currents can carry these drugs far from their original drop points.
In recent months, similar incidents have occurred along the Gulf Coast and Florida's coastline, highlighting a recurring issue with drug smuggling and oceanic transport.
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