Florida divers find 25 kilos of suspected cocaine with fake Nike labels
The individually-wrapped packages of suspected cocaine are pictured off of Key West, Florida. (Credit: Monroe County Sheriffs Office, Florida Keys)
KEY WEST, Florida - Scuba divers this week who were swimming off of the Florida Keys thought they found a bag of trash, but it turned out to be 25 bricks of suspected cocaine valued at over $1 million.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said it responded at 12:25 p.m. local time on Wednesday to a dive shop in Key Largo about the discovery.
The scuba divers said they removed what they thought was trash during their dive in the Atlantic Ocean when the discovery was made, according to the sheriff’s office.
The 25 packages of suspected cocaine, each weighing a kilogram (2.2 pounds), were found about 100 feet underwater, officials said.
'Cocaine sharks' may have ingested smuggled drugs
Sharks may have ingested cocaine dumped off the Florida coast, according to one marine biologist. Tom "The Blowfish" Hird set out to investigate. He joined LiveNOW from FOX's Josh Breslow to explain his findings ahead of his new Discovery Channel docuseries.
The sheriff’s office shared a picture of the discovery on social media, showing an opened garbage bag and packages marked with "Nike SB," along with the brand's swoosh logo.
The sheriff’s office said it was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol, which later noted how the street value of the seized package was valued at over $1 million.
This week’s discovery off the Florida Keys was certainly not the first time packages of suspected cocaine have been found in the area.
In 2021, nearly 70 pounds of cocaine worth an estimated $1 million at the time was found floating by a good Samaritan, who turned it over to authorities. Last year, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor reeled in an unexpected $1.1 million worth of cocaine during a Florida Keys vacation with family.
This story was reported from Cincinnati.