A Tom the Cat-stamped kilo of cocaine was found in mangroves off John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol, deputies say.
MCSO
A tightly duct-taped brick of cocaine adorned with a large image of Tom the Cat, from the titular Tom and Jerry cartoon, sporting sunglasses, was discovered among the mangroves in a Florida Keys park on Friday afternoon, deputies say.
Around 12:40 p.m., the about 1 kilogram (2.2-pound) brick of cocaine was found in the mangroves off John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on the ocean side of Key Largo, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
It’s unclear who found the drugs, but deputies were alerted.
This marks at least the second brick of cocaine found in the Florida Keys this week. On Monday, a kayaker happened upon a half-kilogram of cocaine off Sumerland Key in the Lower Keys.
This package was marked with the number ”333,” which matched a separate kilogram of cocaine that was found nearby two weeks prior in the same place.
READ MORE: Kayaker finds half a kilo of cocaine in Florida Keys, sheriff’s office says
All the discovered cocaine packages were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office told the Miami Herald that the labels, such as Tom the Cat and “333,” let drug smugglers know who bought the contraband and where it’s intended to go.
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Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.