27 Cocaine Packages Wash Ashore Galveston Beach

Galveston police said 27 individually wrapped packages of cocaine washed ashore Tuesday morning on the island’s West End, adding an unusual discovery to a stretch of beach along FM 3005. Officers responded shortly after 9 a.m. after reports of suspicious bundles in the sand near the 18000 block of the road. Police said the packages later tested positive for cocaine. The department said the drugs will be destroyed under its policy and warned beachgoers not to touch similar items if more appear. ### Where were the packages found? The 18000 block of FM 3005 was where officers were dispatched at about 9:12 a.m., according to local reports citing the Galveston Police Department. That area is on Galveston Island’s west end, near Jamaica Beach, where beach access points run alongside the roadway. (khou.com) KHOU reported the call came a little after 9 a.m. Tuesday after suspected drugs were reported along FM 3005. Police photographs released to news outlets showed the bundles lined up on the sand after officers collected them. ### What did police say they recovered? Galveston police said officers found 27 individually wrapped packages on the beach. (galvnews.com) Fox 26 Houston and KHOU both reported that the packages later tested positive for cocaine. The department has not publicly released the total weight or estimated street value of the drugs. The Houston Chronicle reported that Galveston police had not provided those figures as of Wednesday. (khou.com) ### Did police say how the cocaine got there? Galveston police did not publicly explain in the reports available Wednesday how the packages entered the water or where they originated. (fox26houston.com) The department’s public warning focused on recovery of the bundles and on advice to beachgoers who might encounter similar items. (chron.com) Fox 26 reported officials said finds like this are not uncommon along the coast. That report did not include a more detailed explanation from police about whether the bundles were linked to an offshore smuggling route, a lost shipment or another case. ### What are beachgoers being told to do? Galveston police warned residents and visitors not to touch suspicious packages that wash ashore. (khou.com) The department said unknown substances can be dangerous and asked anyone who finds a similar bundle to call police immediately. The warning comes ahead of heavy beach traffic on the island, with local outlets noting crews were already clearing seaweed from parts of the shoreline before Memorial Day weekend. (fox26houston.com) Police did not say they had found additional packages beyond the 27 recovered Tuesday. ### What happens to the drugs now? Per department policy, Galveston police said the recovered cocaine will be destroyed. (khou.com) Reports on Wednesday said the packages had been collected and transported from the beach after officers responded to the scene. As of Wednesday morning, the next public step outlined by police was continued reporting from the public if more bundles appear along FM 3005 or nearby West End beaches. (chron.com) The department has not announced arrests, a named outside agency or a separate criminal case tied to the packages in the published reports so far. (khou.com)