Police in Florida have found themselves confronting a unique phenomenon: big bags of marijuana washing up on beaches, and the busy hands of people who want to keep it for themselves.
Dozens of bags started washing ashore in areas such as St. Johns, Volusia and Flagler counties last week, The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
Coverage of Florida on Globalnews.ca:
The most recent case saw police in Flagler County issue a public notice on Friday to help them identify a woman who was photographed putting her hand inside a package.
The woman was blonde, wearing a yellow bikini top and black bottoms and sunglasses with white rims and pink temples.
In total, police have picked up approximately 100 lbs. of marijuana on beaches since last Tuesday (Sept. 11).
One woman spotted bundles of marijuana on a beach across the street from her Flagler Beach home on Wednesday.
Police arrived to find four wrapped packages along with 12 bundles that were packed like bricks, as well as a plastic package, the News Journal reported.
More packaging was found about a mile south, and all were believed to contain marijuana.
READ MORE: Canadian weed stocks are skyrocketing as legalization looms — should you invest?
Police in Flagler County made an arrest in connection with the marijuana on Thursday.
That day, they attended an area known as Jungle Hill Park for a call about numerous packages containing the drug that had popped up on the beach.
She reported that a man, Robert Kelley, was trying to open them up and take the product. Others had the same idea, police said.
Kelley was identified to officers when they arrived on the scene.
The man did not tell police that he had found any drugs.
Police spoke with him, asking if he had taken any of the product; he then pointed to his vehicle and said he was holding on to it for when the authorities came by.
Police searched his car and found a brick-like package of marijuana, wrapped in a beach towel and weighing about 11 lbs. in his trunk.
Kelley was arrested for possession of marijuana and his bond was set at $2,500.