A group of volunteers looking for evidence of sea turtle nests made on Alabama's beaches found a 10-pound package of drugs instead this week in Orange Beach.

Lt. Cliff Roberts of the Orange Beach Police Department said the volunteers contacted OBPD Tuesday morning after locating the suspicious package in the surf.

"They thought it was a seat cushion in the surf so they went to retrieve it out of the surf line," Roberts said. "When they discovered it was not a seat cushion, they contacted the Orange Beach Police Department."

Roberts said the package was marijuana, weighing about 10 pounds, wrapped and taped. He estimated the street value between $6000 and $8000.

"It did not look to be very high-grade marijuana," Roberts said.

The package was entered into evidence and the Border Enforcement Security Task Force under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified.

At present there are no theories as to where the package came from.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Roberts said. "We'll look at the tides and charts and try to determine how long it has been in the water, but it could be anywhere."

The people who found the package were volunteers with Share the Beach, Alabama's sea turtle conservation program. The group's members walk the state's beaches shortly after sunrise every morning during the nesting season to look for signs of sea turtle nests made on the beach the night before.