Snorkelers make a surprise discovery off the Florida Keys. Now it’s a police matter
Snorkelers checking out the undersea world off the Florida Keys encountered another item commonly found floating in the waters off South Florida — a brick of cocaine.
The group was swimming around 11 a.m. Monday on the ocean side of Key Largo when the people noticed the contraband, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
They reported it to authorities, and deputies met with them when they returned to shore in a Keys neighborhood, the sheriff’s office said.
The drugs were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol. The total weight of the package was not immediately known, the sheriff’s office said. Border Patrol officials didn’t respond to questions about the drugs.
South Florida, particularly the Keys, is part of the smuggling route for drugs coming through South America and the Caribbean.
Earlier this month, a boater found 16 bricks of cocaine floating off the Village of Islamorada in the Upper Keys. The Border Patrol said the load had an estimated street value of $640,000 and weighed about 40 pounds.
This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Snorkelers make a surprise discovery off the Florida Keys. Now it’s a police matter."
