Last Monday, piles of parcels were reportedly recovered on two separate beaches, Newhaven and Hastings. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the parcels contained an illegal substance known as cocaine and will be the focus of their investigation.
Concerned residents initially notified the Sussex Police Department of mysterious packages that were washed up on the beaches. They went and "collected the illicit items from the beaches and relocated them to a safe facility," remarked the Anti-Crime organization, reported Newsweek.
These questionable substances were found washed up on the beach "packed in watertight bags and fastened to life jackets to make them float," said The Argus media.
The Sussex Police stated that a report called their attention to unknown packages discovered at sea near the coast of St. Leonards. Units were sent to investigate the odd number of parcels found by accident.
In a statement, Sussex PD said that "The packages were collected in collaboration with the Coastguard and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, and will be examined to identify what they are," as per the Daily Advent.
The authorities further said that additional packages were reported along the Newhaven seashore later on the same day. They are trying to see if the two discoveries are connected.
The NCA and Sussex law enforcement made a detailed test that revealed that the parcels contained illegal substances. A thorough forensic examination will still be carried out, though, to confirm if the packages indeed contain illegal substances and if it is cocaine, as earlier mentioned.
The agency indicated in several tweets that the items seized from the two beaches weighed as much as 960 kilos or around 2,116 pounds. When the authorities calculated the street value of the illegal substance, they came up with a whopping value of £80million or US$113,195,760.
Branch Commander Martin Grace told the press that the illicit packages had been determined to have come from the international waters outside the United Kingdom.
He did not hesitate to say that the substances were of class A type and came directly from South America. But he stressed that other conclusions on how it reached the UK shores are also welcome.
The commander also stated that the NCA had joined forces with Sussex Police and another Border Force in investigating the washed-up parcels, which are being kept in an undisclosed location.
The discovery of the parcels of illegal substances was one of the most recent in a long line of illicit substance busts from around the world.
One week ago, 31 kilograms (about 68 pounds) of illegal substance also got washed up on a beach in Alabama. Over in Florida, a snorkeler also spotted a floating parcel of illicit nature, which was later appraised at $1.5 million.
Related article: Passenger Seen Snorting White Substance, Acting Erratically on Plane Forces JetBlue Landing
