The mayor of Tampa has described a fishing journey along with her household off the Florida Keys that resulted in a shock catch: a 70-pound package deal of cocaine.
Jane Castor was fishing for mahi-mahi along with her brother Kelly, 61; her son and his girlfriend on the finish of July.
The 62-year-old mentioned she had been making the annual fishing journey to the Keys for almost a decade.
Castor spent 31 years with the Tampa Police Department, changing into a chief earlier than retiring in 2015 and changing into mayor in 2019.
She mentioned her brother noticed the black plastic package deal, in regards to the dimension of a microwave, floating within the water.
Castor knew instantly it was cocaine.
Jane Castor was noticed watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers apply final yr. In late July, she went fishing within the Florida Keys and reeled in a shock catch
Castor discovered the microwave-sized bundle floating off the coast of Marathon
They dragged the package deal onto the boat and headed for the harbor close to the city of Marathon, on Middle Key, calling the native sheriffs alongside the best way.
Upon arrival, they had been met by Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies after which two federal brokers who confiscated the loot.
Walter Slosar, chief patrol officer of the Border Patrol’s Miami sector, posted a photograph of the loot on Twitter, revealing 25 blocks of cocaine, every embellished with a blue and purple butterfly.
The medicine had been price $1.1 million and the seize was the fifth that month.
The earlier weekend, an individual discovered a three-pound bale of marijuana in a ship close to Islamorada within the Upper Keys.
Earlier that month, boaters found 87 kilograms of hash off the coast of Marathon.
That similar day, one other noticed 62 kilos of cocaine wrapped in bricks embellished with footage of the Eiffel Tower.
The day earlier than, an 8-pound bale of marijuana was discovered about 13 miles northwest of Big Pine Key within the Lower Keys.
The Border Patrol in Miami shared a photograph of the package deal Castor fished out of the water
And the discoveries stored coming: In early August, somebody discovered a block of cocaine weighing 2.7 kilos.
The Florida Keys have lengthy been a preferred hub for drug smuggling given its proximity to Latin America.
The latest report from the Drugs Enforcement Agency, from 2022states that the realm is “a major US drug trafficking and money laundering region.”
“Its geographic connection to the Americas, the Caribbean countries and the Bahamas, along with its multicultural background, make it a preferred portal for illicit drugs entering the U.S. to supply local, state and other U.S. drug markets.”
Cocaine seized in South Florida accounts for 19 p.c of the US complete.