December 15, 2007    El Paso, Texas
U.S. Customs agents find 789 pounds of marijuana hidden inside of decorative pots and vases

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) commercial cargo facility made a 789-pound marijuana seizure Saturday afternoon. The drugs were concealed within a shipment of decorative pots and vases.

The seizure was made shortly after 12:00 p.m. when a 1997 GMC box truck entered the BOTA facility from Mexico. A CBP officer at the primary inspection booth selected the truck for an intensive inspection. CBP officers used non-intrusive inspection equipment to scan the shipment and x-rays revealed an anomaly in the appearance of the commodity. CBP drug sniffing dog "Quixote" then alerted to the presence of narcotics in the truck.

CBP officers began searching the boxes in the truck and found numerous decorative plaster of paris pots, vases and other items inside. CBP officers searched a large vase and found that it contained bundles of marijuana. CBP officers removed a total of 719 plastic-wrapped bundles from various items in the shipment. No arrests were made.

The seizure marks the third time in eight days that area CBP officers have discovered drugs in an unusual concealment. On December 8, CBP officers at the Ysleta port of entry in El Paso seized 30 pounds of marijuana that were concealed inside six large holiday candles. And on December 10, CBP officers at the Antelope Wells crossing in New Mexico located 11 pounds of marijuana in six jars of pickled jalapenos.

Source: U.S.Customs