There are a lot of things someone could do after finding a massive amount of raw cocaine in the ocean. If you ever find yourself in a position where you’ve stumbled into a load of the illegal white powder, we’d suggest not doing what Thomas Breeding did.
After the 32-year-old and four others found 45 pounds of cocaine at sea, Breeding thought this had been the break he’d been looking for; he thought it was a way to change his life for the better. He decided to sell the cocaine, using his four buddies as dealers who would report back to him and reimburse him for the money they made.
It certainly changed his life alright. After being arrested in the summer of 2016 with his four companions, the group was indicted by a federal grand jury in September. All five of them plead guilty to the charges.
Already a convicted felon, Breeding was arrested with an illegally possessed firearm and is facing a $4.25 million fine and life in prison.
“I was working as a long line boat captain out of Panama City when I found a package containing 20 kilos of cocaine,” he wrote. “I do not know where the drugs came from and haven’t ever been involved in the drug trade before. I was just a hard-working, young commercial fisherman.”
“This changed my life and way of thinking and also made me aware of some of the dangers that can be found off shore in the Gulf,” Breeding wrote from jail in a recent letter. “I would like to let the public know the dangers and what not to do if this situation comes about.”
We can’t speak for anyone else, but we could’ve told Breeding everything he was doing was a terrible idea, no $4.25 million fine or prison time needed. Hopefully anyone reading this can take what happened to Breeding as how not to handle a situation that involves finding a lot of cocaine. Just call the police, you’ll be better off in the long run.
