Police today searched the coastline after cocaine worth an estimated £3.1m washed up on a beach popular with tourists.
A black holdall containing around 40kg of the Class A drug was found on the sand at Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes on the north Cornish coast on Friday, a source in the village said.
Pictures taken outside Schooners bar overlooking the bay show police officers talking to members of the public next to bags, while lifeguards patrol the beach.
A local said: ‘This has been the talk of the village this weekend. This is a very gossipy place, but when something unusual like this happens, even more so.
‘I was told the drugs were found in the wash on Saturday morning and the police were called. The beach is popular with dog walkers and even in the main holiday season there are always plenty of people here.
Police are searching the Cornish coastline today after cocaine worth an estimated £3.1 million was found on the popular Trevauance Cove beach (Photos)
A black holdall containing around 40kg of Class A drugs was found on the sand on the north Cornish coast according to village sources (Image: Officers surrounding the holdall)
“As well as coach parties and newlyweds who tend to come here at this time, there are a lot of locals. St Agnes has a stronger community with a second home brigade than any other location.’
A source suggested the bag contained around 40kg of cocaine – a figure not disputed by police – worth around £3.1million, but locals said they had been told the cocaine had a street value of around £1.5million. .
The National Crime Agency says the domestic cocaine market is dominated by criminal gangs which generate around £4 billion a year.
The cocaine trade is linked to serious violence throughout the supply chain, including gun and knife crime in the UK. The cocaine trade has seen an exponential increase in related violence in recent years.
In February, the NCA and the Border Force made what is believed to be the biggest seizure of class A drugs in the UK.
A shipment of 5.7 tonnes of cocaine was found in a container at the Port of Southampton bound for Hamburg, Germany. The drug blocks were found inside a cargo of bananas transported from South America.
Based on UK street prices, the cocaine would be worth more than £450 million.
Cocaine is made from a paste extracted from the leaves of the coca bush found in South America, then mixed with ‘cutting agents’ such as talcum powder, flour, laxatives and sugar before being sold on the streets to increase dealers’ supply.
The RNLI said St Agnes station crews were not involved in the incident on Saturday and called Devon and Cornwall Police.
Inspector Rachel Manifield, Force Incident Manager at the constabulary, said: “We are currently carrying out searches along the coast between Padstow and Holywell Bay as part of the ongoing investigation.
‘Members of the public, who we thank for their support, have been asked to avoid the area. It is not expected to take a protracted amount of time.
Aerial view of the beach at St Agnes, Cornwall as people flock to the beach
Pictured: View of Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes Cornwall on a beautiful day
Last month tropical storm Debby blew nearly £800,000 worth of cocaine onto the Florida coast.
The US border patrol said 70lb (32kg) of drugs tightly wrapped in 25 packages – worth £788,000 – had washed ashore.
Bricks of cocaine and other drugs often wash up on south Florida beaches as smugglers ship illegal substances from South America to the US.
In February 2017, cocaine with a street value of up to £50m washed up on two Norfolk beaches in several colorful complexes.
Shocking cocaine worth up to £3.1m on Cornwall beach popular with tourists
