52m of Cocaine Washes up on Tokyo Beach, Discovered By Old Man

A pile of cocaine hydrochloride

Elderly Man Stumbles on $52M of Cocaine on Japanese Beach

For a local elderly man in the metropolis of Yokosuka, a stroll at the beach has led to the single biggest drug bust in Japanese history. The man reports that while at the beach, he noticed four backpacks washed ashore. Upon opening them he discovered the illegal narcotic and turned them over to authorities. What was discovered is 80 single-kilogram bricks of cocaine with a street value between $48 and $52 million.

Sadly, the biggest drug bust in Japanese history isn’t attributable to any noteworthy interdiction effort by local police or a major sting operating infiltrating a drug cartel. Very likely, the find was the result of sloppiness on the part of drug smugglers who succeed at smuggling the drug into this prosperous nation far more often than they fail.

Each bag had a buoy affixed to it along with tracking devices. It is believed that somehow the sea bound pickup went awry leaving the bags exposed and eventually washing ashore. Commentators at the popular Asian news outlet Kokatu.com speculated that some smuggler likely made a colossal mistake. Point in fact, this is the type of mistake that winds up having someone put on cement boots and take a celestial nap with the fish.

By comparison, one of Canada’s largest cocaine busts was in 2008, when OPP siezed $40m worth of cocaine from drug dealers in Ontario.

The cocaine was smuggled inside boxes of hot sauce on a boat from Guyana and destined for an Etobicoke food importer, reported the Star.

Cocaine with an estimated street value of $52 million has washed ashore in Tokyo. Picture: FNN

On The Web::
$48M in cocaine washes ashore in Japan
http://nypost.com/2013/11/21/48m-worth-of-cocaine-washes-ashore-japanese-beach/

$52 million worth of cocaine washes up on beach and is found by elderly Tokyo resident
http://www.news.com.au/world/million-worth-of-cocaine-washes-up-on-beach-and-is-found-by-elderly-tokyo-resident/story-fndir2ev-1226765693680