74 pounds of cocaine found floating off Florida Keys

SUGARLOAF KEY, Fla. — This was not the kind of white Christmas authorities in the Florida Keys wanted to see.

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A fisherman found 74 pounds of cocaine in more than a dozen packages on Wednesday floating about 15 miles south of Sugarloaf Key, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The fisherman notified a sheriff’s deputy, who was on marine patrol at the time, at about 1:54 p.m., the Miami Herald reported. Because the packages were in federal waters, they were turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, according to the newspaper.

The estimated U.S. street value of the drugs is $850,000, WPLG reported.

Drugs floating near the Florida Keys is not a new phenomenon, according to the Herald.

In August and September, nearly 150 pounds of marijuana were found either floating offshore or on the beaches, the newspaper reported.

In July, more than 50 pounds of cocaine washed ashore near Grassy Key, the Herald reported. Earlier that month, 29 bricks of cocaine washed near Marathon, according to federal agents.

Cox Media Group