 | Marshall Islands found their largest-ever haul of cocaine in 2020 in an abandoned boat that washed up on an atoll after drifting on the high seas, likely for years. The 5.5-metre (18-foot) vessel was found at Ailuk atoll with 649 kg (1,430 lbs) of cocaine on board. It's speculated the boat's crew hit a Pacific storm and perished. Ailuk Atoll is a remote atoll with about 400 people. |  |
 | The vessel likely drifted across the Pacific from South America. Debris from the Americas often washes up in the Marshalls after years at sea, driven by Pacific Ocean currents. Researchers conducted 16 computer simulations of drift patterns from the Mexico coast and found nearly all eventually arrived in the Marshall Islands. |  |
