Federal drug investigators have revealed that approximately one million dollars worth of cocaine washed up on a private beach in Martha's Vineyard over the summer.
According to David DiTullio, the top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent for Cape Cod, the illegal drug was in its purest form and was discovered by a family of beachgoers at Lucy Vincent Beach in July.
The package contained 24 one-kilogram bricks of "pure, unadulterated" cocaine, each stamped with a toucan, according to the Vineyard Gazette.
The estimated value of the drugs ranges from $864,000 to $1.3 million, making it likely the largest amount of cocaine the island has ever seen. DiTullio stated that such incidents are uncommon in Massachusetts and New England, noting that they are more frequently seen in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. Federal authorities believe the shipment is connected to South American drug cartels.
DiTullio provided two possible scenarios for how the drugs ended up on the private beach. The first is that the presence of the Coast Guard at sea may have "spooked" a transporter vessel into dumping its cargo. The second possibility is that someone intentionally left the package in the water for another person to retrieve.
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