27 Bricks of Cocaine Washed Up in Galveston — Here’s What You Need to Know as a Texan

On May 20, 2026, at approximately 9:12 a.m., Galveston police responded to the 18000 block of FM 3005 — Jamaica Beach — where beachgoers had discovered 27 individually-wrapped packages washed up on the sand. Testing at the Galveston County Justice Center confirmed the packages contained cocaine. Houston attorney BJ Kemp had one immediate reaction: as your attorney, I need to say something about this.

Watch BJ’s full legal breakdown — the part the news didn’t cover:

What Actually Happened on Jamaica Beach

Galveston police arrived at 9:12 a.m. on May 20 to find 27 individually-wrapped bricks of cocaine — the kind of load that doesn’t arrive on a Texas beach by accident. According to Galveston PD, discoveries like this are not uncommon along portions of the Texas Gulf Coast. The packages were transported to the Galveston County Justice Center for testing, confirmed as cocaine, and will be destroyed under department policy.

The official advice from police was simple: if you find suspicious packages on the beach, do not touch them. Call Galveston Police dispatch at 409-765-3702.

That advice is correct. But as BJ put it — there’s more you need to know before you ever set foot on that beach this Memorial Day weekend.

27 Bricks Crosses the Federal Trafficking Threshold — By a Lot

This is the part the news segment doesn’t explain. Finding cocaine on a beach and picking it up are two completely different legal situations.

Under federal law, cocaine quantity determines the charge. Possession of 500 grams or more triggers a mandatory minimum of 5 years in federal prison. Possession of 5 kilograms or more — which 27 bricks almost certainly exceeds — triggers a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison. Not county jail. Not probation. Federal prison, with no early release under federal sentencing guidelines.

And that’s before we talk about intent to distribute — which federal prosecutors can argue based on quantity alone. You don’t have to sell a single gram. The amount is enough.

Texas Civil Asset Forfeiture: They Can Take Everything You Brought to the Beach

Here’s the one that catches people completely off guard. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 59, law enforcement can seize property they believe is connected to a drug crime — before you are charged with anything.

That means your car in the parking lot. The cash in your wallet. Your cooler, your phone, your boat. If police can argue it was connected to the offense, they can take it. And here’s the part that makes it worse: even if the charges are later dropped or you’re found not guilty, getting your property back requires a separate civil legal proceeding. The burden is on you to prove the property wasn’t connected to a crime.

Texas is one of the states with the weakest civil asset forfeiture protections for citizens. The Institute for Justice has given Texas a D-minus rating on forfeiture law. This is a real risk — not a hypothetical one.

What To Do If You Find Something on a Texas Beach

The answer is short:

• Do not touch it. Not to move it. Not to look inside. Not to take a photo up close. Step away.
• Call Galveston Police: 409-765-3702. Give them your location and description. Stay nearby if it’s safe — you may be a witness.
• Do not post your location on social media before police arrive. This creates complications you don’t want.
• If you already touched it — call an attorney before you say anything to police. What you say in those first minutes matters.

As BJ said in his video: make sure you report the correct number. All 27. Count them out loud if you have to. What you report and what was there — those numbers need to match.