KEY LARGO, Fla. – Bricks of suspected cocaine were discovered by scuba divers on Wednesday off Key Largo.
Divers and tourists with Rainbow Reef Dive Center, offshore near French Reef, spotted what they thought was trash floating in the water.
One worker, who asked not to be identified, said everyone soon realized the bundle was not trash.
“This a little different,” he recalled. “It was a big square block. Very hard, very tightly packed.”
“You always hear stories about the drugs and everything, but this is the first time we’ve ever had a hands-on involvement with it,” said Rainbow Reef General Manager Billy Wise.
The group called “The Authorities,” and the haul was taken away by Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies, who turned it over to U.S. Border Patrol.
Agents said the load was cocaine, weighing more than 60 pounds and worth more than $1 million in an estimated street value.
Each brick appeared to have a Nike logo label on the front.
Agents said markings are sometimes used by smuggling organizations to identify their loads.
The drugs will then be destroyed, and the investigation is underway.
Where the load came from also remains under investigation.