Pubdate: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 Source: Associated Press Copyright: 1999 Associated Press BEACH WALKER FINDS 50 POUNDS PURE COCAINE HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. (AP) - A man on a seaside stroll Monday found something powdery white, and it wasn't sand. Ten bricks of pure powder cocaine weighing a total of about 50 pounds had been wrapped in layers of plastic and burlap before washing ashore on the Atlantic island's north beach. The man who found the cocaine with an estimated street value of $3.2 million hid the package in some nearby brush and called police, said St. Lucie County sheriff's spokesman Mark Weinberg. It was not immediately known how the cocaine got to the beach - whether it fell off a boat or had been dropped for pickup. ``Some of it had barnacles on it, indicating it had been in the water more than a day certainly,'' Weinberg said. ``We don't know if this was a whole load or if this was part of a shipment.'' Authorities planned to stake out the beach for three days in case someone comes looking for the drugs, Weinberg said. Police in neighboring Indian River and Martin counties also were on the lookout in case more drugs show up on their beaches, he said. It is not unusual for drugs to wash ashore. But Weinberg said Monday's package was noteworthy because of the large quantity. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake