The mayor of Tampa caught $1.1m worth of cocaine as she took a fishing trip in the Florida Keys with her family.
Jane Castor, the city’s former police chief, was looking for mahi-mahi fish but instead found a 70-pound package of drugs floating in the Atlantic, reported CNN.
The package was found south of Marathon on 23 July, the US Border Patrol confirmed.
Ms Castor saved the location of the find on her watch and she and her family pulled the package out of the water onto their boat.
She then contacted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to report the find, her office told the news network.
Officials say that the package contained 25 bricks of the drug, which had a butterfly motif printed on them.
“We appreciate the ongoing support from our boating community. Thanks to the efforts of this Good Samaritan, 70 pounds of cocaine are in federal custody and off our streets. We encourage the community to immediately report suspicious activity to local authorities,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner said.
Ms Castor spent 31 years with Tampa Police Department and was the first female chief of police before becoming mayor.
Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents in the Miami Sector seized 70 lbs. of cocaine that was discovered by a recreational boater in the #FloridaKeys. The drugs have an estimated street value of approx. $1.1 million dollars. #miami #florida #drugbust #Mondaymorning pic.twitter.com/etaiuwXrcK
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) July 24, 2023
It is not the first major recent drug discovery in the Keys, which are an island chain south of Miami.
Last month, boaters found 87 pounds of hashish in the waters off Marathon, while another group spotted 62 pounds of cocaine, printed with pictures of the Eiffel Tower.
