Beachgoer hunting turtle nests finds cocaine bricks worth $4 million

A man searching for sea turtle nests on a north Florida beach got an unexpected surprise when he came across 70 pounds of cocaine bricks instead.

The unusual find occurred on Amelia Island beach in Nassau County where the bricks of cocaine weighing 32 kilograms were discovered wrapped in a wrapped in plastic and on top had a picture of a bald eagle, as per News4Jax.

When it comes to estimated value, the drugs are thought to be worth $1 million with a street value of $4 million, according to law enforcement officials.

.Often packaged drugs to wash ashore in southern Florida where drug smuggling occurs, just a few days ago, similar cocaine packages (29 kilos) were discovered by US Border Patrols that was found in the Florida Keys.

But this latest find is more unusual due to the sizable quantity of drugs being uncovered further north than usual.

“That’s a tremendous amount of cocaine and what is it doing this far north? So, it was a shock,” Megan Feldman told the outlet as she, like many other beachgoers were surprised at the news.

Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper also acknowledged that this is a "very rare" occurrence in Nassau County.

“Many years ago, there were bales of marijuana that washed up on the beach, but to my knowledge, something like this washing up is certainly a rare event.”

In a post, Sheriff Leeper added: "This significant seizure demonstrates the importance of community vigilance and cooperation with law enforcement. We’re grateful for the alert resident who reported this discovery. Our team is working diligently to trace the source of these drugs and keep our communities safe."

So why did such a vast amount of drugs wash ashore?

Sheriff Leeper believes the mostly likely scenario is that the drug smugglers tossed the bricks overboard when the authorities were on their tail.

“More than likely, it was on a boat that law enforcement or Coast Guard was getting close to and they just threw it overboard to get rid of it so they didn’t have possession of it. The sea current just washes it up along the coastline,” he said.

The intended destination for the drugs is still unclear as the authorities continue their investigation.

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