Hundreds of Floating Bales of Marijuana Found Off O.C. Coast

U.S. Border Patrol Agents recovered hundreds of bales of marijuana Sunday with a street value of more than $3 million off the Orange County coast, a sheriff's lieutenant said.

The bales were found floating by a boater about noon Sunday, approximately 13 miles off Dana Point, Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Joe Balicki said.

"It kind of makes you wonder how it got there," Balicki said. "We didn't have any reports of vessels in distress."

The 160 bales weighed about 7,000 to 8,000 pounds, he said.

Seizing the narcotics is the result of the joint effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities working within one regional coordinating group to stop illegal maritime activity along the Southern California coastline, said Jackie Wasiluk, spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Shortly before noon Sunday, maritime law enforcement authorities received a tip about suspicious bales floating in the water.

The tip was called in to the regional maritime coordinating group. If you see something similarly suspicious, call (310) 521-3801.