An unusual incident has occurred on the beach of Marina di Ragusa in Sicily. Italian media have published a video showing hundreds of thousands of euros that had ended up in the sea and were then washed ashore by the waves. Holidaymakers were surprised to see bundles of banknotes floating in the water.
According to Italian authorities, it all started when a small boat ran out of fuel near the port of Marina di Ragusa. There were four people on board. Two of them got off to get fuel, while a man and a minor remained on the boat, which was pushed towards the shore by sea currents.
The vacationers notified the coast guard, thinking the boat was in danger of sinking. But as soon as the coast guard vessel approached to help them, the two people on the boat began throwing dozens of packages filled with banknotes into the sea.
The currents brought the packages to the beach, where vacationers rushed to retrieve them. A short time later, police, carabinieri and financial police officers arrived at the scene, surrounded the area, seized the money and identified people who had taken some of it.
Authorities announced that they have seized nearly 700 thousand euros, while it is not excluded that part of the amount has not yet been found. The boat was seized and sent to the port for examination, while three people were arrested as part of the investigation. There was also a minor on board, who, according to preliminary data, had no family ties to the arrested. Investigators are verifying whether the money is related to organized crime activities and money laundering.