By Kathleen McGrory
The Miami Herald
Miami -- A police officer made an unusual discovery on Hollywood beach this morning: hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cocaine.
The cocaine -- about 37 kilos worth, wrapped tightly in cellophane -- had likely been at sea for a month before washing ashore, said Capt. Tony Rode, a Hollywood police spokesman who provided the estimate of its cash value. The clear cellophane was coated with barnacles.
''A lot of times, when people are being chased by the Coast Guard, they dump the drugs into the water,’' Rode said.
He added: ``We’re just glad our officers found it. There could have been more than $400,000 worth of drugs on the street.’'
Narcotics investigators were looking into the matter.