€670,000 mystery deepens: Beachgoers find shopping bags full of cash floating on shore

Shopping bags stuffed with nearly €670,000 washed up on a busy Sicilian beach this week after the crew of a broken-down speedboat chucked them overboard as the Coast Guard closed in.

Holidaymakers at Casuzze, a small seaside spot in Santa Croce Camerina near Ragusa, found themselves scrambling after waterproof packages of banknotes as waves pushed the dodgy cargo onto the sand under a fierce July sun.

💰 Des vacanciers en Sicile ont découvert sur une plage de Casuzze des sacs Lidl contenant près de 700 000 euros en espèces, après l’échouage d’un bateau hors-bord. Les trois passagers maltais de l’embarcation ont été interpellés. pic.twitter.com/Im0gfpU4tO

— 75 Secondes 🗞️ (@75secondes) August 1, 2026

What began as a simple engine problem or empty fuel tank turned into one of the oddest scenes of the Sicilian summer, complete with fleeing men, a young passenger and a growing police puzzle about where the money came from and where it was headed.

How the boat drifted into trouble

A semi-cabin motorboat that had left Malta suffered a breakdown a short distance from shore. With no power, the boat drifted toward the coast while people on the beach watched. None of those on board shouted for help or tried to signal, which made the swimmers suspicious enough to raise the alarm.

Two of the four people on the boat used a small rubber dinghy to reach nearby Marina di Ragusa in search of fuel. The other pair stayed with the drifting craft. As the Coast Guard patrol boat drew nearer, those left on board began hurling sealed plastic containers into the water. Some packages sank. Others floated straight to the beach, where their transparent wrapping showed stacks of Euro notes inside.

Cash recovered with help from holidaymakers

Coast Guard crews and bathers worked together to gather the floating bags. Once opened, the packages revealed bundles of euros carefully wrapped to stay dry. Officials counted roughly €670,000, though some reports suggest the true total may climb higher if more bags surface in the coming days.

Local police and Carabinieri arrived within minutes at the crowded stretch of sand. The cabin cruiser itself was later towed into port. Beachgoers described the strange sight of people chasing notes of five and ten euros blowing across the sand while officers tried to grab every last package.

Four adults on board and one kid

Three men and a minor had been travelling on the speedboat. Two adults have been identified but have so far refused to explain the cash. A third man appears to have slipped away. The young passenger, who does not speak Italian and is believed to come from abroad, was taken into the care of social services by the juvenile prosecutor’s office. Investigators say the boy has no clear link to the two men already named and may have been connected to the man who is still on the run.

Two of those on board tried to swim for shore once the Coast Guard arrived. Both were quickly picked up and taken with the others to the Marina di Ragusa beach office for questioning.

Police probe origins of the cash

Ragusa prosecutors have opened a full investigation. Police are mapping the boat’s route from Malta, any stops or contacts made during the trip, and the intended destination of the money. So far no firm link has been made to drug trafficking, money laundering or any other organised crime, though both currency smuggling and the movement of undeclared cash remain possible explanations.

Police Chief Salvatore Fazzino said that pure chance played a part. Had the engine kept running, the boat and its cargo would almost certainly have continued unnoticed. Investigators now face the task of tracing every note and every contact while the young passenger waits for his family or embassy to respond.

The case sits only a short distance from the fictional home of the popular TV detective Inspector Montalbano, yet the real-life mystery of nearly €670,000 tossed into the sea off Casuzze remains very much unsolved.

So, if you happen to be paddling along the seashore, keep an eye out for what washes up. You never know what you might find.