Mayor of Tampa Bay Catches 70 Pounds of Cocaine During Fishing Trip

The mayor of Tampa Bay, FL recently hauled in 70 pounds of cocaine while out fishing.

As the Tampa Bay Times reports, Jane Castor was boating in the Middle Keys city of Marathon when a mysterious package bobbed into view. A veteran cop of 31 years, Castor immediately identified the bundle as cocaine while her puzzled family members argued over its contents. She and her brother, Kelly, along with her son and his girlfriend, hauled the package aboard. Before heading back to shore, the mayor marked the location on her watch.

Castor then summoned federal agents, who took possession of the cocaine. According to Walter Slosar, chief patrol agent with Miami Border Control, the 25 bricks are valued at $1.1 million dollars. When the find was initially reported late last month, Castor was identified as “a recreational boater” rather than the mayor. Her identity was revealed on Monday in a Facebook post by the City of Tampa. “Mayor Jane Castor is never off duty,” the caption joked.

Castor’s find was in fact the fifth stash of drugs to turn up Florida waters during July. On July 2, a different boater found 62 pounds of cocaine in Marathon waters. On the same day, another recreational boater discovered 87 pounds of hashish offshore in the same area. Smaller amounts of marijuana were also discovered near Islamorada and in the Lower Keys.

“We appreciate the ongoing support from our boating community,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner told CNN. “Thanks to the efforts of this Good Samaritan, 70 pounds of cocaine are in federal custody and off our streets. We encourage the community to immediately report suspicious activity to local authorities.”