56lbs Of Cocaine Found Floating Off The Coast of Southwest Florida

Marco Island, FL - A Florida boat captain discovered a bundle of cocaine worth $625,000 floating off the coast of Southwest Florida Panther Key,

Captain Stearns and his crew initially mistook a floating object for an alligator or a life jacket, but a closer look revealed something far more illicit.

Upon hauling the mysterious item aboard, Stearns and his crew found multiple packages, each containing approximately 25 kilograms of a white powdery substance.

Suspecting it was cocaine, they immediately contacted the Coast Guard and brought the packages to the Port of the Islands Marina where local authorities were waiting.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the substance as cocaine, with an estimated street value of $625,000.

The packages were covered in barnacles, suggesting they had been adrift in the water for a considerable period.

Sheriff’s officials noted that while such drug hauls were common in the area during the 1970s and 1980s, known as the “square grouper” era, they are now a rarity.

The discovery underscores the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement in combating drug smuggling.