09 August 2023 , 17:08
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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and her family discovered and retrieved a package containing 70 pounds of cocaine with an estimated value of $1.1 million while fishing in the Florida Keys.
The package - 25 bricks of cocaine -was found south of Marathon, Florida, on July 23 and was reported to local authorities. The drugs were taken into custody by US Border Patrol agents from the Miami sector.
Castor, a former police officer who served in a number of law enforcement roles prior to becoming mayor, immediately identified the package as containing the drug. The Border Patrol praised her and encouraged the community to report suspicious activities.
A tranquil day of mahi-mahi fishing turned into an unexpected encounter with the criminal underworld for the Florida family as they stumbled upon the mysterious package adrift in the Atlantic waters off the coast of the Florida Keys.
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The Castor family, engrossed in their leisurely fishing expedition, noticed a dark object bobbing in the waves. Kelly Castor, a seasoned boating enthusiast, who was enjoying the outing with his family recalled that the package caught their attention immediately. As the enigmatic package drifted closer to their boat, the family's suspicion deepened.
"Cocaine," exclaimed Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who was also part of the fishing trip. Her decades-long experience in law enforcement, including years spent in narcotics investigations, had honed her ability to recognize illicit substances.
Their instinctive observation would later be validated by US Border Patrol authorities. The package, upon retrieval, was found to contain a staggering 70 pounds of cocaine, carrying an estimated street value of approximately $1.1 million.
Mayor Jane Castor was previously the Tampa Police Chief (Getty Images)Wrapped in deteriorating layers of plastic, the package was about the size of a microwave, and its contents were tightly packed into individual bricks.
The Castor family, intrigued by their unexpected find, managed to haul the package onto Mayor Castor's boat, a testament to their determination even after hours of rigorous fishing. The cracks in the worn plastic wrapping unveiled the tightly compressed bricks, each carrying the illicit cargo.
Mayor Castor promptly marked the discovery location, off the coast of the Middle Keys city of Marathon, before the family made their way back to their vacation rental. Reflecting on the incident, Ms Castor shared her experience in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. She disclosed that this annual summer voyage, undertaken for almost a decade, was dedicated to searching for spiny lobsters during the locally celebrated "mini-season."
Ms Castor has an extensive history in law enforcement and was easily able to identify the drugs (janecastor/Instagram)
The cocaine Jane Castor found had an estimated value of over one million dollars (Jane Castor)Accompanying Mayor Castor on this eventful trip were her son and his girlfriend. Upon reaching a designated no-wake zone, Castor contacted the Monroe County Sheriff's Office to report their find. The family then transported the package to the rental property's dock, where a local law enforcement officer soon arrived.
The scene attracted further attention when two federal agents joined the investigation, swiftly whisking away the package for further examination and processing. The event sent shockwaves through the local community, with headlines in the Miami Herald highlighting yet another drug discovery in the Florida Keys waters. The article described the incident as a "recreational boater" making the discovery, conveniently omitting the identity of Tampa's mayor.
Walter Slosar, the chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol's Miami sector, took to Twitter to showcase the haul, revealing the 25 cocaine bricks, each adorned with a distinctive blue and purple butterfly motif. The Castor family's discovery unfolded amidst a series of notable narcotics-related incidents in the region.
Walter Slosar, the chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol's Miami sector, shared a picture of the drugs (USBPChiefMIP/Twitter)In the weeks leading up to the Castor family's discovery, other boaters had found significant quantities of illegal substances. A weekend prior, a boater stumbled upon a 3-pound bale of marijuana near Islamorada in the Upper Keys. Earlier in the same month, separate boating parties had uncovered 87 pounds of hashish off the shores of Marathon, a small city nestled within the heart of the Florida Keys.
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Another discovery involving 62 pounds of cocaine, the bricks adorned with images of the iconic Eiffel Tower, was also reported. The waters near the Florida Keys seemed to be harbouring a trove of illicit goods. Just a day prior to the Castor family's find, an 8-pound bale of marijuana had been spotted floating northwest of Big Pine Key in the Lower Keys.
The eventful month of drug-related discoveries culminated in another significant find, with a different individual stumbling upon a 2.7-pound brick of cocaine just a week after the Castor family's encounter. Despite the unexpected turn of events, the Castor family pressed on with their vacation, enjoying more fishing and diving, and this time focusing on a different type of catch — nearly 60 lobsters.