Nearly 20kg Cocaine on Marina Cay
Local marine police recovered a bale of suspected cocaine weighing close to 20 kilograms after it washed ashore on Marina Cay earlier this week. The find, which included several individual one-kilo “bricks,” is being processed by authorities as part of ongoing efforts to tackle narcotics trafficking in BVI waters.
Local marine police seized a large bale of suspected cocaine, reportedly weighing nearly 20 kilograms, after it washed ashore on Marina Cay earlier this week. Officers who responded to the scene found a wrapped bale and several individual bricks of a white powdery substance; the items were recovered and taken into custody for forensic processing and inventory.
Sources say that when the bale was opened it contained multiple individual bricks, each consistent with the roughly one-kilogram packaging commonly used for international transport. When weighed together the shipment measured close to 20 kilograms. Such quantities are typically destined for larger markets, including the U.S. mainland, where street value can reach tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram depending on purity.
Cocaine washing up on Caribbean shores is a recurring phenomenon and can reflect several trafficking patterns. Investigators warn that smaller packages are sometimes intentionally discarded by smugglers as decoys to distract authorities while larger consignments continue toward their destination.
Authorities will examine the recovered material for fingerprints, markings, chemical fingerprinting and other evidence to determine origin and any links to other seizures. This discovery comes days after the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and partner agencies announced the seizure of 772.4 kilograms of cocaine from a vessel in BVI waters and the arrest and charging of six men.
Police officials say both incidents underline the persistent use of the territory’s maritime approaches by organised trafficking networks and the need for sustained regional cooperation. Items recovered from Marina Cay have been moved to a secure location for processing and testing.
The investigation is ongoing and may involve regional or international law enforcement partners as detectives work to trace the shipment’s route and identify those responsible. Residents are urged not to touch any suspicious packages that wash ashore and to report them immediately to the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
Public vigilance remains an important complement to law enforcement efforts to protect the territory’s communities and marine environment from the harms associated with illegal drugs. Police have not yet released further details about the exact weight after laboratory verification or any arrests related to the Marina Cay find.
BVI News will update this report as more information becomes available.
Primary source: BVI News