© Ron Müller via Unsplash
Beachgoers at Marina di Ragusa, on the Italian island of Sicily, were taken aback last Wednesday when banknotes worth hundreds of thousands of euros suddenly washed ashore.
In this mysterious incident, a total of nearly 700,000 euros in waterproof bags was thrown into the sea from a boat. The boat, a small motorboat from Malta, ran into trouble due to a lack of fuel and drifted toward the coast near Casuzze.
When the Italian Coast Guard and the Guardia di Finanza arrived on the scene, the three occupants threw dozens of sealed bags of money into the water. The bags drifted toward the shore, where beachgoers picked them up. However, they were only able to enjoy their windfall for a short time: the police cordoned off the area and confiscated the money. According to reports in the Italian media, the total amount was 665,000 euros in bills ranging from 5 to 100 euros.
According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the three Maltese passengers were identified and received an administrative fine. The boat and the money have been seized, and the Ragusa Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation to determine the origin of the money and the reason for this action.
© Ron Müller via Unsplash - Illustrative image