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Cocaine Landings Becoming Common on U.S. Beaches
This incident is part of a broader trend of illicit drugs washing up on beaches across the southern U.S., particularly in Florida. In August 2024, tourists in the Florida Keys found a package containing 16 bricks of suspected cocaine. Earlier that month, Hurricane Debby pushed 25 packages of the drug ashore. Police said those packages weighed around 70 pounds and were valued at over $1 million.
In June 2024, more than 65 pounds of cocaine were discovered floating off the Florida Keys, and divers recovered another 55 pounds submerged off the coast of Key West. That same month, about 55 pounds of cocaine also washed ashore on Dauphin Island, Alabama.
In 2024, cocaine has been found at least five times on or near the coastal regions of Texas, Alabama, and Florida.
Cocaine’s Journey to U.S. Shores
According to United Nations researchers, nearly 90% of the cocaine consumed in North America originates from Colombia. Traffickers typically use speedboats or semi-submersible vessels, dubbed “narco subs,” to transport the drug over the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
