French police are investigating how a “significant amount” of cocaine and other drugs have washed up on beaches along the Atlantic coast in recent weeks, with new packages continuing to appear daily, reports The Guardian.
The cocaine is particularly pure and therefore dangerous, according to the prosecutor’s office in the western city of Rennes, who urged people who spot packages not to touch them but immediately call the police.
“Suspect packages have been found on all beaches ... from the Loire-Atlantique department down to the Landes department [a strip of coast of more than 500 kilometres],” the prosecutor’s office said. About 14 kilos in drug packages were found on Pornic beach in the Loire-Atlantique on Sunday alone.
In total, more than 760 kilos of drug parcels with a potential value of about 60 million euros (£52m) have washed up on the coast thickly wrapped in clear or black plastic.
Philippe Astruc, the Rennes public prosecutor, said the packages “very probably” contained cocaine from South America.
“It’s a very pure product that must not be consumed in this form because there is a very high risk of overdose,” he told France 2 TV. “There is absolutely an immediate health risk.”
Police are investigating whether a drug traffickers’ boat hit a storm or ran into trouble and released its cargo.
Sud Ouest newspaper reported that two people out walking discovered two packages on the beach at Arcachon, south-west of Bordeaux, on Friday containing 3kg of cocaine.
It said some of the packages were marked “diamante” or “brillante”, similar to packages reported to have washed up in Florida during Hurricane Dorian in September.