Divers uncover 25 bricks of suspected cocaine marked with faux Nike logos off Key West coast

Divers exploring the waters off Key West, Florida, discovered what they thought was rubbish on the ocean flooring — however it turned out to be greater than two dozen individually wrapped packages of suspected cocaine, authorities stated Wednesday.  

Deputies responded to the Rainbow Reef Dive Heart in Key Largo, the place scuba divers reported discovering what they believed to be trash, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Workplace stated in a press release on social media. Pictures launched by the sheriff’s workplace confirmed a ripped-open rubbish bag subsequent to packages marked “Nike SB,” with imitations of the footwear model’s iconic swoosh emblem on the entrance.

The 25 packages of suspected medication, every weighing a kilogram, or 2.2 kilos, have been positioned about 100 ft underwater within the Atlantic Ocean, officers stated, and the stash was turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The invention comes a few month after after a beachgoer discovered about $1 million value of cocaine washed up alongside the Florida Keys, CBS Miami reported. U.S. Border Patrol brokers stated that bundle contained 65 kilos of cocaine.

Drug traffickers routinely transport cocaine by worldwide waters utilizing a wide range of vessels — and typically the packages are marked with distinctive designs.

In January, the Colombian Navy seized a so-called “narco sub” loaded with greater than 1,000 kilos of cocaine within the Pacific Ocean, and lots of the parcels featured an insignia of a scorpion. Others have been marked “Winnie” and “Carnal.”

Final yr, packages of cocaine value greater than $100,000 washed up on a number of Florida seashores. Every bundle was marked with a distinct design, together with one which appeared to imitate the Chanel emblem, in keeping with pictures posted on Fb by the Walton County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Final yr, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, whereas on a fishing journey along with her household, reeled in 70 kilos of cocaine. These bricks of narcotics have been emblazoned with butterfly designs.

In 2023, practically 150 kilos of packaged cocaine washed up on Massive Pine Key, and in 2019, bricks of cocaine have been found on two seashores after Hurricane Dorian lashed the Florida coast.

Colombia produces greater than half of the cocaine discovered on the earth.