- Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was fishing with her family in the Florida Keys when they spotted a package.
- They pulled in the package, which contained 25 bricks of cocaine that weighed 70 pounds.
The mayor of Tampa, Florida, was fishing with her family last month when the family spotted a 70-pounder floating in the water — that is, 70 pounds of cocaine.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was on a boat in the Florida Keys when her brother pointed out a black package bobbing in the water, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Castor, who spent decades as a police officer, knew what it was right away and replied, "cocaine."
US Border Patrol officials announced the discovery on July 24, noting the cocaine had been found by a "recreational boater" and had an estimated street value of $1.1 million. A photo showed 25 bricks of cocaine stamped with butterfly labels. Only on Tuesday did the Tampa Bay Times reveal the boater in question was the mayor and her family.
After the news broke, Castor retweeted the initial announcement along with a laughing emoji face and the article identifying her family's involvement.
https://t.co/IPLmw6IiqU https://t.co/rPfudwxRYJ
— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) August 8, 2023
Castor told the Tampa Bay Times she saved the location where the package was discovered on her watch and pulled it onto her boat. The package, about the size of a microwave, contained the tightly packed bricks of cocaine. Her office told CNN she then reported the discovery to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, which then transferred custody of the drugs to Border Patrol.
"Thanks to the efforts of this Good Samaritan, 70 pounds of cocaine are in federal custody and off our streets," Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner said, according to CNN.
The Miami Herald reported on July 24 that the cocaine, which they did not identify as being found by Castor, was the fifth floating package of drugs that had been found off the Keys that month.
Other examples have included 87 pounds of hashish, another 62 pounds of cocaine, and at least two bales of Marijuana, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Castor's office and US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.