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$1M Worth Of ‘Uncut’ Cocaine Washes Up On Ritzy Martha’s Vineyard Beach, Feds Say

Obama Family To Spend Summer Vacation On Martha's Vineyard

Lucy Vincent Beach, Chilmark, MA (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Alexander Pease Contributor
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Around a million dollars worth of cocaine washed up on a private Martha’s Vineyard beach over the summer, federal drug investigators say.

Cape Cod’s top U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent, David DiTullio, said that the reportedly “uncut” illegal drug was in its purest form and was discovered by a family of beachgoers at Martha’s Vineyard’s Lucy Vincent Beach in July, the Vineyard Gazette reported.

Authorities found a package that contained 24 one-kilogram bricks of “pure, unadulterated” cocaine, with a toucan stamped on each brick, per the Gazette.


Federal agents estimated the value of the drugs to be anywhere between $864,000 to $1.3 million, with DiTullio telling the Gazette it was likely the largest amount of the addictive powdery substance the island has ever seen. (RELATED: Moroccan Police Reportedly Seize 1.37 Tons Of Cocaine Hidden In Frozen Fish) 

“This is not a common thing to happen in Massachusetts or even New England for that matter,” he said, per the outlet. “As an agency, we see it happen down in the Florida Keys, in the Caribbean. But this is kind of an anomaly for this part of the states.” (RELATED: Nantucket Cops Raid 70-Foot Yacht, Find Drugs And Guns: REPORT)

Federal authorities believe the shipment is linked to South American drug cartels, the Gazette reported.

DiTuillio offered the outlet two possible scenarios for how the drugs ended up on the private beach: that Coast Guard presence at sea “spooked” a transporter vessel into dumping its cargo or that someone left the package in the water for someone else to pick up.

The investigation remains ongoing and no arrests have been made.