A charter captain made an unexpected discovery of 56 pounds of cocaine while fishing near Panther Key, between Marco Island and Everglades City.
"Not the usual catch. You know, we catch a lot of grouper, but never the square variety," said Captain Brandon Stearns of Reel Local Fishing Charters.
Captain Stearns and his passengers initially thought the floating object might be an alligator or a life jacket.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was something different.
"We pulled it aboard and, cut it open and saw each individual 25 kilos. We counted each one. And, checked it, check to see what it was. And sure enough, white powder came out and we knew exactly what it was. We came straight in what the Coast Guard know. And, here we are," said Stearns.
The discovery was made near Panther Key, and Stearns immediately contacted the Coast Guard and brought the bundles to Port of the Islands Marina, where Collier County deputies were ready to secure the find.
"It was very heavy. You know, at first I thought it was filled with water, you know, just a bag full of water. and then once we got it in, we realized that wasn't the case. everybody was kind of shocked and all, you know, especially in this area. and then, you know, the fact that we cut it open to see, to make sure what it was," Stearns added.
The bundle of cocaine, which was covered in barnacles, an indicator the package had been in the water for a while.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office tested the substance and confirmed it was cocaine and estimated the street value to be an estimated $625,000.
The sheriff's office said the find was reminiscent of the “square grouper” marijuana smuggling days in Collier County during the 1970s and 1980s but uncommon for today.