Don't be silly...money doesn't grow on trees. It comes from the sea!

October 31, 2007 10:32 PM

Here's an odd unforeseen consequence of the Columbian drug trade: fishermen along Nicaragua's Mosquito Coast have been been getting rich off of "white lobster"—cocaine dumped overboard by Columbian drug traffickers that, through a fortuitous arrangement of sea currents, washes ashore.

Apparently, it's become a common occurrence for communities along the coast. NPR also did a story last week about it, for those who find the clip above uneasily close to a human interest story. There is also a small gallery of photos by Susan Schulman, the photojournalist who's interviewed in the first clip.

posted by Weebot (17 comments total)

The sleep of reason creates monsters.
posted by telstar at 10:48 PM on October 31, 2007 [1 favorite]

We were at a party
His nostril fell in the deep
Someone reached in and grabbed it
It was some white lobster!

We were at the beach
Everybody had matching towels
Somebody looked out at night
And there they saw some white
It wasn't just white
It was some white lobster!

Aaaaaaah, aaaaaaah, aaaaaaah, aaaaaah! White Lobster!
posted by InnocentBystander at 10:53 PM on October 31, 2007 [3 favorites]

The cuervo gold
The fine columbian
Make tonight a wonderful thing
posted by growabrain at 10:54 PM on October 31, 2007 [2 favorites]

If you wanna ride
Don't ride the white lobster
posted by phaedon at 10:56 PM on October 31, 2007 [4 favorites]

Nothing like the church benefitting from crack money. Someone paid for those new tiles, with their life. The police seems pathetically underpowered.
posted by Student of Man at 10:59 PM on October 31, 2007

Horton, that's some blow!
posted by flod at 11:09 PM on October 31, 2007 [2 favorites]

That's Colombian.

(former Columbian)
posted by zsazsa at 11:21 PM on October 31, 2007

Double. (Ha... ha...)

Also this. (Although flod beat me as I debated how clever I wanted to be about the first.)
posted by pokermonk at 11:30 PM on October 31, 2007

Nothing like the church benefitting from crack money. Someone paid for those new tiles, with their life. The police seems pathetically underpowered.

LOL. Drugs r bad, mmkay!
posted by delmoi at 1:32 AM on November 1, 2007

Fishing for Blow embedded video.
posted by adamvasco at 2:33 AM on November 1, 2007

white lobster?

they're welcome to it.
posted by UbuRoivas at 3:15 AM on November 1, 2007

White lobster is a helluva crustacean.
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:26 AM on November 1, 2007

Reminds me of Bales of Cocaine by Reverend Horton Heat
http://www.lyricsdepot.com/reverend-horton-heat/bales-of-cocaine.html
posted by so_ at 5:49 AM on November 1, 2007

Good Guardian story on this too, headlined Cocaine Galore!
posted by roofus at 5:57 AM on November 1, 2007

Thar she blows! shoulda called it the white whale
posted by Quietgal at 8:26 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

We occasionally get bundles or bales of marijuana wash up on the shore of river and large lake around here. I've always wondered what percentage gets turned in vs that which gets put to it's intended use.
posted by Mitheral at 11:18 PM on November 1, 2007

A bolivian birthday (finding drugs) is aperrantly so named because there are certain bolivian beaches off of coastal highways were you can stroll for a bit and find coke on the beach.
posted by Suparnova at 8:49 PM on November 2, 2007