BUNDLES OF COCAINE WASH UP ON BEACH

PORT ST. JOE -- More than 50 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $2.4
million, washed ashore on Indian Pass Beach in southern Gulf County,
authorities said.

A member of the turtle patrol, a group that monitors nesting sites and
turtle populations in Gulf County, found the cocaine Sunday morning,
Sheriff Frank McKeithen said.

The uncut cocaine was wrapped in waterproof plastic and sealed with tape.
The packaging had barnacles on it, indicating it had been in the water for
some time. But McKeithen said there was no way to tell just how long
because barnacles grow fast in the right conditions.

The cocaine weighed 25 kilograms or roughly 55 pounds.