GREENSBORO, N.C. — On a recent visit to Florida, I was out on the beach for sunrise and looking for shells. Instead, a kilo of cocaine had been washed up by the waves. Really, it was a kilo of cocaine.
It was square, it looked like it was wrapped in black electrical tape and then some sort of heavy clear wrap around it. It was about the size of a school textbook.
I called the police and they cut open the package and tested it right there and for sure, it was cocaine.
This experience got me thinking, that any of us could find drugs that were dumped or a weapon or whatever on vacation while taking our kids to the park when we're walking the dog. So, what should you do?
“The best thing to do is not touch it and call law enforcement. You don't want to open up a package like that because if it is fentanyl or something like that you could hurt yourself. If it turns out to be nothing, that's fine, we understand that. We'd rather us discover that than you opening it and finding it is something harmful said it,” said Lt. Peter Watkins of the Winston-Salem Police Department.
The danger in not telling authorities is that a kid might find it and could end up hurting themselves by opening it or if it's a gun by picking it up.
Don't be surprised when they ask you questions and want contact information. It's not because they think you did something wrong.
“They may ask you a couple of questions about how you came upon it, they may ask for your contact information, and that's just standard. Typically, if you're calling it in, typically law enforcement is not going to think that it's yours. You're just being a good citizen, doing the right thing,” said Watkins.
What happens to what you turned in? If it's drugs, it's taken to evidence and if not linked to any other case-- it's destroyed. If it's property of some kind, they work to see if it's part of a case and if it can be returned to the owner.