Hurricane Debby Brought a Million-Dollar Shipment of Cocaine to Florida
Hurricane Debby left a trail of destruction in Florida, uprooting trees, flooding streets, and tearing down advertisements. But it also brought something unexpected: a million-dollar shipment of cocaine.
The hurricane made landfall as a category 1 hurricane with gusts of wind reaching 119 kilometers per hour. Authorities discovered 25 packages of cocaine (70 pounds) on the beaches of the Florida Keys. The drugs have an estimated street value of over $1 million.
“Hurricane Debby washed up 25 packages of cocaine (70 pounds) on a beach in the Florida Keys,” said Samuel Briggs II, acting chief agent of the U.S. Border Patrol in Miami. “The good Samaritan discovered the drugs and contacted authorities.”
The packages of cocaine reached the coast in a total of 31 kilos, but it’s unclear whether they were carried by the wind or the water.
In other parts of the country, authorities also reported finding cocaine. In New South Wales, Australia, police discovered the drug along a stretch of 96 kilometers of coastline.
The discovery of these drugs in association with the hurricane has raised concerns about the potential for increased drug trafficking in the region.