Shock discovery as holidaymaker finds package believed to be 1kg of cocaine on Cheynes Beach near Albany

A suspicious package containing what is believed to be cocaine has been found by a shocked holidaymaker on a regional WA beach. Police are investigating the package which was found washed up on Cheynes Beach, east of Albany on Wednesday. A person holidaying at the popular Great Southern spot found a package wrapped in plastic and covered in shells, about 2km north of the main entrance to the beach. The person took the package to Cheynes Beach Caravan Park and owner Jo Marsh alerted police. Police arrived and picked up the package, which Ms Marsh estimated weighed about 1kg. “It washed up on the beach and people staying here found it,” she said. “They brought it back to the caravan park and asked if I can contact authorities which I did. “Police came out and grabbed it, interviewed us and they said it was cocaine and to keep an eye out for any more if washed up. “It had little shellfish kind of things on it and going by the size of them it’s been out there a while.” Police have declined to comment. The latest find in the Great Southern comes just over a year after police seized 365kg of cocaine from a wrecked boat near Peaceful Bay on February 9. The discovery turned the rescue of three men from a capsized boat near Eclipse Island nine days earlier into a nationwide manhunt. Federal police arrested and charged Karl Whitburn, Mate Stipinovich and Aristides Avlonitis for their alleged involvement in the drug operation. The trio will appear in Perth Magistrates Court on February 23 for a committal mention hearing.