CBS

How’s this for a catch of the day? Nearly 8,000 pounds of marijuana were found bobbing off the coast of Dana Point, Calif. yesterday.

California’s Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol and local authorities retrieved around 160 bales of weed 15 miles outside Orange County, which sits on the southern outskirts of Los Angeles. Totaling more than 7,263 pounds, the stash’s value was estimated at $3.6 million.

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How the marijuana ended up in the ocean is still in question. In most cases, the dumped weed was a result of drug boats trying to unload their cargo to prevent being caught. (Pot smugglers of the 1970s referred to such floating bales as “square grouper.”) As Border Patrol representative Michael Jimenez told the Orange County Register:

“At other events, they’ve dumped the bales to get rid of weight if they’re being chased. Generally in these cases we’re aware they’re being dumped. What’s more unusual is that the bales were floating with no boat in sight.”

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California authorities still haven’t made any arrests in connection to the mysterious discovery. Still, it can’t be as weird as catapulting things over the border.

Erica Ho is a contributor at TIME and the editor of Map Happy. Find her on Twitter at @ericamho and Google+. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.