$1 million in cocaine found floating offshore by work boat
Published 7:00 am Thursday, June 20, 2019
- A bundle of drugs was discovered floating offshore by a work boat and turned over to detectives for the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office after they were notified of the find by the Department of Homeland Security.
Detectives with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit discovered $1 million worth of cocaine in offshore waters near the Port of Iberia Tuesday.
According to Maj. Wendell Raborn, detectives were contacted by the Department of Homeland Security in reference to a quantity of suspected narcotics recovered by a work boat.
Detectives made contact with the boat at the docks in the Port of Iberia. The ship’s captain reported locating a suspicious bundle floating in the water roughly 50-55 miles south of Southwest Pass. Detectives discovered the bundle contained 30 individually wrapped packages of suspected pure cocaine each weighing approximately 2.5 pounds for a total combined weight of approximately 75 pounds (30kg). The estimated street value for the narcotics recovered is more than $1 million.
Investigators are working with federal authorities in an attempt to determine the origin of the cocaine.