One family from Victoria, Texas who was visiting Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) on Sat. March 29th to help clean up trash on the beach discovered something else besides the cups and wrappers.
“So, I pick it up and brush it off, and it has this little picture of a gator on it, and some words in a different language. So I take it to my aunt, who is leading the beach cleanup, and she says it might be drugs," 11-year-old Daniel Weinheimer from Victoria said.
Daniel and his family, along with two pet German Shepherd dogs came down to PINS to visit family in the area and to help with a community beach clean up effort. Daniel was walking the two dogs when they led him over to the first brick of cocaine that was mostly covered in sand.
"We were on the beach and I already filled up my trash bag full of my share, and then our two German Shepherds, which I am hanging on to because all the others were occupied, start pulling me in two separate directions, until they both smell something and go right to the same area. So then I see a little box corner right around where they're sniffing," Daniel Weinheimer said.
Adults from the group alerted a Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden who was in the area patrolling the cleanup about their findings.
“Actually, they found the two bricks of cocaine that they saw and turned it over to Warden Gross, and he actually took it and then turned it over to the PINS rangers, where they turned it over to the U.S. Coast Guard," Captain Wesley Groth, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden, said.
Daniel discovered the first brick of cocaine and another person on the beach cleanup crew found another one nearby.
Neighborhood News Reporter Erin Holly wanted to find out how often cocaine washing ashore happens around the Coastal Bend.
“It happens, maybe every blue moon. I guess, every few months or so, we’ll get a report of cocaine washing up, or drugs or narcotics washing up," Captain Groth said.
Captain Groth said it could have washed ashore here from a narcotics vessel from the Caribbean or the Yukatan.
Daniel's mother, Caitlin Weinheimer, is just thankful that her son told an adult about what he saw right away.
“Being very observant definitely makes me proud and it also was a good chance to just talk to kids about the kind of things out in the world that we want to protect them from and also educate them on the right thing to do in these situations," Caitlin Weinheimer said.
Captain Wesley Groth with the Texas Parks and Willife Department said if you see anything suspicious wash ashore on the beach, do not touch it and call the TPWD office immediately to report it at 361-289-5566.
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