KEY WEST, Florida — In addition to the heavy rain and gusts of wind Debby carried through Florida this week, the storm also managed to wash 70 pounds of cocaine onto a Florida beach Monday.
Samuel Briggs, chief patrol agent of US Border Patrol's Miami sector, said a "good Samaritan" discovered 25 packages of the narcotics at a beach on the Florida Keys.
The packages, branded with a red triangular symbol, contained cocaine with a street value of over $1 million, Briggs said in a social media post.
The drugs were found in the village of Islamorada, the New York Times reported. Briggs said the individual contacted authorities after locating the packages.
This is far from the first time drugs have washed ashore on a Florida beach, or even the Florida Keys.
In 2022, Briggs announced another incident in which $2 million of cocaine washed ashore on Florida's southern tropical islands.
These drugs, all 126 pounds of them, were turned in by a group of beachgoers in the Tavernier area.
Another beachgoer discovered 71 pounds of cocaine washed ashore on a beach on Amelia Island on Florida's First Coast as recent as June of 2024.
So, what's the proper protocol to follow if you find drugs on the beach?
"The best thing to do is not touch it and call law enforcement," a police lieutenant told WFMY. "You don't want to open up a package like that because if it is fentanyl or something like that you could hurt yourself."
One important reason you should call police is because a child could find it and their curiosity could hurt them. Don't be worried if officials question you in regards to how you found it, as that's standard procedure.
"Typically, if you're calling it in, typically law enforcement is not going to think that it's yours," the lieutenant said. "You're just being a good citizen, doing the right thing."