Florida fisherman finds nearly 60 pounds of cocaine floating at sea

A Florida fisherman reeled in a big catch over the weekend, but it turned out to be a massive load of illegal drugs.

The fisherman had just returned from sea on Saturday when he noticed a large package floating under a dock in Islamorada, Florida, a village located in the Florida Keys, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Sunday.

After using a pole and net to reel it in, the unidentified man said he opened the plastic-wrapped package and found between 40 and 60 pounds of suspected cocaine, the office said in a statement.

He immediately turned it over to the U.S. Coast Guard, which notified the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, according to the statement.

"The fisherman said he noticed something floating and used a gaff and a net to pull it out of the water," the statement said. "The outside plastic was ripped and he cut a corner, which revealed a white powder inside. ... The package contained 25 smaller packages wrapped in clear plastic."

The origin of the suspected cocaine remains under investigation, the sheriff's office added.

The mysterious package has since been turned over to federal authorities.