Nation IN BRIEF : PUERTO RICO : Town Unearths Steel Drums Full of Cash

After hearing that residents of the Puerto Rican coastal town of Vega Baja, about 35 miles west of San Juan, were on a spending spree, federal investigators found the people had unearthed steel drums containing millions of dollars, according to a report in the English daily the San Juan Star. It said the FBI recently recovered one drum filled with $1.5 million. The FBI declined comment until its investigation is completed. Town residents were said to have found about 10 drums of cash three weeks ago and started buying houses, boats, cars and VCRs. Some speculate that the money belonged to drug traffickers. Puerto Rican law says anyone finding “treasures” on private property can keep half of it, with the rest going to the U.S. commonwealth.