Police: Dorian may wash up more narcotics

COCOA BEACH, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - There's an unusual crime alert in Brevard County.  Police in Cocoa Beach are putting out a "be on the lookout" cocaine and other narcotics.

There isn't much damage from Hurricane Dorian, but people are at the beach looking for things that wash ashore, like plastics and even shoes. With the good comes the bad, and that's exactly what floated ashore Tuesday. When a storm comes through, you'll often find things ashore.

"Already we're finding a ton of microplastics, a lot of little bottle caps," said Logan Mallard, who lives in Melbourne.

You know, the usual. But Tuesday morning, with Dorian on its way to Florida and the waters already churning, a kilo of cocaine washed up. Melbourne Police say a couple found it near Paradise Beach Park and pointed it out to an officer on beach patrol. The officer did a field test that confirmed it was cocaine worth about $20,000 to $30,000.

"Every single year it seems like something crazy washes up on the beach," said Mallard.

"​​​​​​​I probably wouldn't have known what it was. Not enough to call authorities about it anyway," said Jennifer McKinney, of Melbourne.

This past Friday, Cocoa Beach Police say a duffel bag with 15 kilos of coke washed ashore there too. Police are now warning people to be on the lookout for anything suspicious that floats to the coast and to call authorities because, "I would call if I saw a duffel bag. I wouldn't open it though. You never know what's in there," said McKinney.

And you never know what else Dorian could drudge up.

"It was stirring out there for days. I'm sure there's more than just the cocaine coming in," said Kevin Maltese, of Grant. "You never know what you're going to find out here."

Once narcotics detectives take a look at that kilo of cocaine found in Melbourne, they will be disposing of it. The duffel bag found in Cocoa Beach is being investigated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.