Tampa Bay mayor hauls in 70 pounds of cocaine during fishing trip

Darryl Coote
·2 min read
Twenty-five packages of cocaine were found in the Atlantic Ocean by Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Caster in late July while she was on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of Chief Border Patrol Agent, Miami Sector, Walter N. Slosar
Twenty-five packages of cocaine were found in the Atlantic Ocean by Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Caster in late July while she was on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of Chief Border Patrol Agent, Miami Sector, Walter N. Slosar
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Aug. 8 (UPI) -- While on a fishing trip with her family in late July, Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor reeled in a big catch -- about 70 pounds of cocaine valued at some $1.1 million dollars.

The seizure occurred July 23, with the chief border patrol agent of the Miami Sector, Walter Slosar, saying in a statement at the time that his agents recovered the narcotics concealed in bricks wrapped in what appears to have been cellophane and adorned with a picture of a pink and blue butterfly.

He said the drugs were "discovered by a recreational boater" in the Florida Keys.

That "recreational boater" has now been revealed to be Castor.

"Mayor Jane Castor is never off duty," the City of Tampa said in a Monday statement on Facebook.

Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor discovered a bag containing $1.1 million worth of cocaine last month in the Atlantic Ocean while on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of City of Tampa Bay/Website
Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor discovered a bag containing $1.1 million worth of cocaine last month in the Atlantic Ocean while on a fishing trip with her family. Photo courtesy of City of Tampa Bay/Website

The mayor told the Tampa Bay Times that the drugs were found in a package adrift in the Atlantic Ocean as she and other family members were fishing for mahi-mahi from a boat.

While other family members were perplexed by the package bobbing in the ocean, Castor -- who spent 31 years in the Tampa Police Department including as its first woman chief -- said she knew what it was.

They hauled the package aboard their vessel and Castor marked the location on her watch before heading back to their rental property as she called the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, the mayor told the local newspaper.

Border Patrol agents then took possession of the package, which contained 25 bricks of cocaine, according to the federal law enforcement agency, CNN reported.

"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.