Tampa Mayor Jane Castor found a package in the water containing 70 pounds of cocaine while fishing in the Florida Keys.Photo:Jane Castor/Instagram, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar/Twitter
Jane Castor/Instagram, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar/Twitter
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor reeled in a big one during a vacation in the Florida Keys last month.
Castor, 62, and her family were fishing on a boat on July 23 when they spotted and hauled a package out of the water which contained 70 pounds of cocaine, later determined to have an estimated street value of $1.1 million, according to Castor’s office, perCNN, theTampa Bay TimesandSpectrum News.
The quick-thinking politician saved the location — off the Middle Keys city of Marathon, according to U.S. Border Control — on her smart watch and contacted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office to report her family’s discovery. Border control agents with the Miami Sector came to the site and took custody of the drugs, according to the border agency, which said the package contained 25 bricks of cocaine wrapped in layers of fraying plastic.
“We appreciate the ongoing support from our boating community. 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,” Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner said in a statement, according to CNN.
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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is a former police officer who spent eight years working in narcotics.Jane Castor/Instagram
Jane Castor/Instagram
Castor opened up about the surprising discovery to theTampa Bay Times, recounting that her younger sister, Kelly, was the one who first spotted the package in the water. “Hey, look at that," Kelly said, prompting Castor — a former police officer who spent eight years in narcotics — to instinctively reply, “Cocaine."
Castor told the local news outlet that she’s been taking the same fishing trip for nearly a decade, in search of spiny lobster during the annual two-day recreational harvest locally called “mini season,” held in late July. The group — which also included her son and his girlfriend — was mahi-mahi fishing when they found the cocaine.
According to her bio on theCity of Tampa website, Castor, a Tampa native, spent 31 years with the Tampa Police Department, becoming the city’s first female Chief of Police in 2009, a role she filled for six years before being elected mayor in 2019. She is currently serving her second term, which ends May 1, 2027.
source: people.com
