As Hurricane Debby lashed the Gulf Coast, an incredible find was made on a beach in the Florida Keys. Upon closer examination, a local discovered that the strange packets she had seen laying on the sand contained cocaine. He notified the US Border Patrol, who arrived at the location without delay. Twenty-five packets totaling seventy pounds of cocaine were found. The pills were found inside a trash bag and are estimated to be worth a staggering $1 million. Patrol Agent Samuel Briggs II, the acting chief of the agency, posted pictures of the illicit catch on social media with the caption, “Hurricane Debby blew 25 packages of cocaine (70 lbs.) onto a beach in the Florida Keys.” When the good samaritan found out about the narcotics, they called the police. The drugs were taken by the US Border Patrol.
The sachets of cocaine were discovered scattered on the beach amidst seaweed and other detritus. Due to Hurricane Debby, all of the parcels bearing a red sign like an arrow had been thrown onto the coast.
Smugglers attempt to get illegal drugs from South America into the US, and as a result, cocaine bricks and other drugs frequently wash up on the beaches in southern Florida.
Similar findings were made in June when a beachgoer in north Florida discovered $4 million worth of cocaine bricks while looking for sea turtle nests. Authorities referred to the discovery in Nassau County as exceptional because it was made considerably further north than where they often wash ashore.
The cyclone has the potential to bring in record-breaking rainfall to the area, which might result in deadly storm surge and disastrous flooding. As of Monday morning, when Debby made landfall as a Category 1 storm, five people have died. It is currently traveling north from Florida to Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina after being downgraded to a tropical storm. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency proclamation for 61 counties in the state. In the area, more than 274,000 homes are without electricity.
