Family finds cocaine worth millions on French beach
Box wrapped in netting contained 25 packets of the drug
The cocaine was of high quality, increasing its value. Police confiscated the package
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A family holiday in northern France was disrupted earlier this week after their teenage son found a huge package of cocaine washed up on the shoreline.
The family were enjoying the last days of the summer break by going to the beach in Ambleteuse (Pas-de-Calais), when their son spotted something in the water, close to the shore.
He went over to investigate, and found a large package wrapped in netting.
The family initially believed it to be fishing equipment, but after pulling it out of the water thought it may have been a suitcase lost by migrants crossing the Channel to the UK.
They dragged the heavy package to the lifeguard post on the beach to inform the workers and work out what the mysterious box contained.
Upon opening the package, however, they found the reason for its hefty weight – 25 one-kilogram packets of ‘white powder’.
Popular route to UK for drugs
This powder turned out to be cocaine by local police contacted by the family.
Further analysis found it to be ‘pure’ cocaine – not mixed with cheaper ingredients – meaning the value of the package was between €2.5 million and €3 million.
This is not the first instance of cocaine washing up on French beaches – a sea crossing to the UK is a popular way for illegal drugs to enter the country, and any lost packages can easily end up on the shoreline.
Read more: Cocaine bags continue to be found washed-up on beaches in Normandy
