Residents of Jupiter, Florida discovered an unlikely scene mid-September when approximately 50 pounds of cannabis washed ashore in the Palm Beach County town.
The bales of cannabis were found near the Martin County and Palm Beach County border line, where Martin County sheriff’s air, ground and marine units were called in to recover the packages of pot. They were further assisted by Tequesta Police and the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office before turning the wet weed over to U.S. Border Patrol.
The assistant chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol, Frank Miller, said, “Border Patrol in Miami sector has experienced a significant increase in the types of events where narcotics wash ashore on the Florida coast.” Authorities believe the stray bales of cannabis to be a part of what was referred to as a “narcotics smuggling event.”
It is believed that the cannabis originated somewhere in the Caribbean, but authorities have yet to pinpoint where the shipment came from or who the alleged smugglers are.
Jupiter and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office made headlines earlier this year when a resident took to Twitter in order to score some weed. The tweet by the individual with the user name @Rosa_Sparkz read “Someone bring me weed. I’ll pay for it.” It took a little over an hour for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office to respond with “Where should we meet you?”
Whether unfazed or amused by the @PBCountySheriff’s reply, @Rosa_Sparkz responded “follow back so I can DM you the location.” The authorities didn’t respond further and it was never confirmed whether or not the Jupiter resident in need of weed was able to acquire some, but she nonetheless enjoyed a few minutes of internet fame.
The cannabis scene in Florida is rather complicated due to the conflicting state and local policies concerning the plant. While Florida signed CBD-only medical marijuana legislation into effect in 2014, legalizing a full medical marijuana program fell two percentage points shy of the 60% voter approval necessary to pass. Since then, Miami-Dade County, Key West, Miami Beach and Hallandale Beach have made moves to decriminalize simple possession, making it punishable by a fine rather than jail time.
