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Cocaine bricks wash up on Florida beach — yet again

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Tampa mayor reeled in cocaine catch during Keys fishing trip


Tampa mayor reeled in cocaine catch during Keys fishing trip

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A package containing 16 bricks of suspected cocaine was found on a beach in the Florida Keys by tourists, authorities revealed this week, marking yet another discovery of the drug on the state’s shores.

The package, which was found by guests of the Islands of Islamorada resort late Sunday morning, was turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as is standard procedure, according to a statement from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities did not specify how much the drugs weighed.

The sheriff’s office also released a photo of the cocaine, showing a package wrapped and taped with a picture featuring what looks like a dune buggy.

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A package containing 16 bricks of suspected cocaine was found on a beach in the Florida Keys by tourists, authorities said.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Office


Cocaine has been found at least five other times on or near the shores of Florida this year.

Earlier this month, authorities said that Hurricane Debby blew 25 packages of cocaine onto a beach in the Florida Keys. The U.S. Border Patrol said at the time that the drugs, which weighed about 70 pounds and worth over $1 million, was found by a good Samaritan.

In June, boaters off the coast of the Florida Keys found 65 pounds of cocaine floating in the ocean, and earlier that month, divers found 25 kilograms of cocaine about 100 feet underwater off Key West. The next day, 25 kilos of cocaine was found washed up on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

In May, a beachgoer found about $1 million worth of cocaine washed up along the Florida Keys, CBS News Miami reported.

In 2023, packages of cocaine worth more than $100,000 washed up on several Florida beaches. Also last year, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, while on a fishing trip with her family, reeled in 70 pounds of cocaine

About 90% of cocaine consumed in North America comes from Colombia, according to researchers at the United Nations. Traffickers often try to smuggle the drugs over the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean with speedboats and semi-submersible vessels, which are also known as narco subs.

Sometimes, traffickers will dump the drugs into the water to evade detection by law enforcement or to be picked up by fellow smugglers. As Scientific American notes, cocaine dropped in the ocean can end up on shores after they are carried by currents or storms.



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911 calls released in deadly Georgia school shooting

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A Georgia county’s emergency call center was overwhelmed by calls on Sept. 4 about a school shooting at Apalachee High School that killed four people and wounded nine others, records released Friday by Barrow County show.

Local news organizations report many of the 911 phone calls were not released under public record requests because state law exempts from release calls recording the voice of someone younger than 18 years old. That exemption would cover calls from most of the 1,900 students at the school in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.

Calls spiked around 10:20 a.m., when authorities have said that 14-year-old suspect Colt Gray began shooting. Many calls were answered with an automated message saying there was a “high call volume,” WAGA-TV reported.

One man called 911 after receiving text messages from a girlfriend. He was put on hold for just over 10 minutes because of an influx of calls at the time of the shooting, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“She hears people yelling outside, so I don’t know if that’s officers in the building or that’s — I don’t know,” he said, adding that she was eventually evacuated out of the school.

Other adults also called 911 after their children contacted them.

“My daughter calling me crying. Somebody go ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,'” one mother said. The 911 operator responded: “Ma’am we have officers out there, OK?”

Parents of students at an elementary school and middle school neighboring Apalachee also flooded 911 seeking information.

“Sir, my daughter goes to school next door to Apalachee. Is there a school shooter?” one caller asked.

“We do have an active situation (at) Apalachee High School right now,” the operator responded. “We have a lot of calls coming in.”

More than 500 radio messages between emergency personnel were also released Friday.

“Active shooter!” an officer yells in one audio clip while speaking with a dispatcher, CNN reported. Another officer responds, “Correct. We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.”

The shooting killed teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, with seven of those hit by gunfire.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported Thursday that the suspect rode the school bus on the day of the shooting with the assault-style rifle concealed in his backpack.

He then asked a teacher for permission to go to the front office to speak with someone, and when he received it, he was allowed to take his backpack with him, GBI said. He then went to a restroom, where he hid, and then eventually took out the weapon and started shooting, investigators said. A knife was also found on him when he was arrested.

According to investigators, the suspect enrolled at Apalachee High on Aug. 14, and between Aug. 14 and the day of the shooting, he was absent for nine days of school.

The family told CBS News that the suspect’s maternal grandmother had visited the school the day before the massacre to discuss the suspect’s alleged behavioral issues. 

The suspect has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder, and District Attorney Brad Smith has said more charges are likely to be filed against him in connection with the wounded. Authorities have also charged his father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, alleging that he gave his son access to the gun when he knew or should have known that the teen was a danger to himself and others.

The 13,000 students at Barrow County’s other schools returned to class Tuesday. The 1,900 students who attend Apalachee are supposed to start returning the week of Sept. 23, officials said Friday.



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Pope says Trump, Harris are both “against life”

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Pope says Trump, Harris are both “against life” – CBS News


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Speaking to reporters Friday, Pope Francis made clear he doesn’t agree with former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, or Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion.

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9/13: CBS News Weekender – CBS News

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9/13: CBS News Weekender – CBS News


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Lana Zak has the latest on Boeing factory workers going on strike for the first time in 16 years, an update from the Starliner astronauts still on the International Space Station, and how you can combat election anxiety.

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