Two bales of cocaine found on a south shore St. Croix beach Saturday morning apparently originated from a boat that capsized the day before.
The 110 pounds of cocaine was discovered at Grapetree Bay, two miles east of the Divi Carina Bay Resort, by a United States Coast Guard inspector, who then contacted the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force, Coast Guard officials said.
The cocaine is believed to have originated from a 35-foot power boat that capsized 16 miles off St. Croix on Friday. Four men from the Dominican Republic were rescued from the boat by the Coast Guard and taken to Dutch St. Maarten.
FBI Special Agent Robert Enriquez told the St. Croix Avis it was "the largest haul of cocaine in the Virgin Islands in recent history." He said the street value of the uncut cocaine was at least $1 million.
The Coast Guard was searching Sunday for more washed-up bales on beaches on other islands in the Eastern Caribbean.
