Cocaine-mad Sydney celebrates the washing up of bricks of coke on the city’s beaches on Christmas like it’s a Powerball win
NSW residents have brazenly welcomed the arrival of blocks of cocaine washed up on beaches along the east coast.
The first properly sealed rock appeared on Magenta Beach, on the state's central coast, around 8 p.m. Friday.
Police arrived on the scene and sent the package for testing, with initial results indicating cocaine.
Further searches along the coast on Saturday uncovered a further six packages on beaches stretching from Newcastle to Sydney, including Manly Beach, Avoca Beach and Blacksmiths Beach.
NSW residents have brazenly welcomed the arrival of blocks of cocaine washed up on beaches along the east coast
Some Australians living in the suburbs where the drugs have washed up are now joking about racing to the beaches in the hope that more have been left behind.
“Wow, I'll take a closer look at some of these tomorrow morning when I'm metal detecting. That will make for a lovely Christmas,” said one.
“So it's a white Christmas on the northern beaches?” said another.
“Damned wrong beach. I told them Freshy! (Freshwater Beach),” one person wrote.
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow,” wrote another.
NSW Police have warned the public not to touch suspicious items on beaches and to contact police immediately.
“Investigators are now urging anyone who may have seen packages similar to those pictured to contact local police,” a NSW Police statement read.
'The packages recovered to date showed significant barnacle growth covering the outer plastic packaging.
“Police would like to warn the public against removing or opening the packages.”
Some Aussies joked that they will rush to their nearest beaches after the discovery
The police have urged residents not to touch suspicious items
Police, working closely with Surf Life Saving NSW, are continuing to search NSW beaches and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Last year, Sydney was unveiled as the cocaine capital of Australia.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's (ACIC) National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program found that each in 1,000 Sydneysiders consumed an average of 910 mg of cocaine per day, the highest amount in the country.
In December 2021, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research discovered a post-Covid record of 275 people arrested for cocaine possession statewide.
The majority of cocaine-related arrests in Sydney were made in the city's CBD and eastern suburbs, with Randwick and Waverley accounting for the bulk of arrests.