Mysterious Packages Washed Ashore At Cape Canaveral Turn Out To Be Cocaine

A potentially cosmic find of more than 20 unidentified floating objects that floated up at Florida's Cape Canaveral space force station turned out to be a different kind of mind blowing discovery - 60lbs worth of cocaine.

According to a report on the Space Force site, the packages must have come from a passing trafficker's boat and were discovered by a wildlife manager who was working on the site at the time surveying turtle nests.

Space Launch Delta 45

The square packages were tightly bound by plastic wrapping. The wildlife manager in question was Angy Chambers, a wildlife supervisor with the 45th civil engineer squadron whose military station is not far from Nasa's Kennedy Space Center.

Having discovered them, she alerted base security, who in turn called narcotics field officers from the Brevard sheriff's department.

The deputies turned up and promptly identified the substance as cocaine - worth about $1.2 million (£851,000).

"While I was waiting for them to arrive, I drove a little further and noticed another package, and then another," Chambers said.

"I called back and suggested they bring their utility terrain vehicle as I counted at least 18 packages."

Joseph Parker, 45th SFS flight sergeant and on-scene commander at the incident, said when he arrived, he suspected the packages contained drugs, and began search and closure protocols on all beaches.

Space Launch Delta 45

"After securing the scene and collecting the contraband, a Brevard County Sheriff's Office narcotics agent performed a field test on one of the packages and verified that it was cocaine," he said.

"We then documented all 24 packages and placed them in evidence bags."

They were then transported to a secret location and given to Homeland Security.

Parker said he was thankful to Chambers for her vigilance, and promised that the seized-upon drugs would never reach the streets of America.

"We take pride in protecting our base and the surrounding community," he said.

"There is also a higher level of job satisfaction knowing that these drugs will not make it into our community."

Drugs washing up on the Florida coast aren't anything new. After all, it's the main route for transporting substances from South America to the United States.

Back in March, a snorkeller stumbled upon a bundle of cocaine worth $1.5m while swimming in the Florida Keys, having spotted something 'floating' in the water.

A tweet at the time from Chief Patrol Agent Thomas G. Martin of US Border patrol said: "On Wednesday, a Good Samaritan discovered 68 lbs. of cocaine valued at over 1.5 million dollars floating in the #FloridaKeys.

"The individual noticed a large black bundle wrapped in tape & contacted local authorities. The bag contained 25 bricks of cocaine."

Simon Catling