Giant bricks of cocaine keep washing up on shores across France, and it appears that some of the bales of drugs share the same label as bricks that washed up in Florida months earlier.
Over the past several weeks, some $66 million worth of “very pure” cocaine has surfaced across France’s Atlantic coast. The packages were reportedly labeled with the words “diamante” and “brillante,” Spanish for “diamond” and “brilliant,” respectively. The label appears to be the same as those on packages of cocaine that washed up on Florida’s shoreline during Hurricane Dorian in early September.
The bundles in France, 1,675 pounds so far, are now washing up daily across an approximately 300-mile stretch of coast. On Sunday alone, some 30 pounds worth of the bricks were found in the beach town of Pornic.
Authorities in France said the cocaine “very probably” came from South America, and they are investigating whether the floating bags came from a shipwreck or from a boat that released its pricey cargo into the sea for some other reason.
It is not clear if the packages in France and in Florida are from the same source or location of origin.
Police are warning citizens not to touch or use the drugs from the bags and if beach-goers discover one they should alert the authorities immediately.
Philippe Astruc, a public prosecutor in Rennes, warned that the cocaine is unusually potent.
“It’s a very pure product that must not be consumed in this form because there is a very high risk of overdose,” Astruc said. “There is absolutely an immediate health risk.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
