The package, weighing around a kilogram, was found by Susanne Garborg, who was visiting family on the southwestern island, and her dog Otto, who were out walking on the beach when they spotted the unfamiliar object in the sand.

“It looked very strange. There was a thick see-through bag with a green package wrapped in cellophane-like material,” Garborg told Jyllands-Posten.

After Weimaraner Otto sniffed out the package and Garborg had taken a closer look, which revealed its white powder content, she decided to contact the police, who removed it for closer inspection.

A police spokesperson told Jyllands-Posten that, although such finds are not unusual on Denmark’s west coast, there is no reason to suspect drug smuggling in the area.

“We occasionally find narcotics washed up on beaches after heavy storms. So it’s something we’re aware of,” said Inspector Hans Roost of Southern Jutland Police.

Roost also confirmed that, though test results had not yet been returned, police believe the package to contain either cocaine or amphetamines. But the drugs were unlikely to have been destined for the Danish market, according to Roost.

“It is our firm belief that there is no smuggling route to Jutland’s west coast. It is more likely that somebody dropped the drugs at sea or threw it overboard for some reason. Maybe because they were about to be caught,” he said.

Roost also cited drug smuggling techniques in which packages are fastened to buoys for pick-up at a later time. The Fanø package could have come loose from one of these buoys, according to Roost.

The package and its contents will be examined for any signs that may point to its origin, with any relevant findings to be sent to the National Police as well as the European cross-border police agency Europol.