$10M worth of cannabis discovered in commercial shipment of cotton candy

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Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection assigned to the World Trade Bridge seized US$7.5 million ($10 million) worth of cannabis hidden inside a commercial shipment of cotton candy.

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The discovery was made on Jan. 14 during a secondary inspection, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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Following a canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination, CBP officers discovered and seized approximately 1,530 kilograms of pot.

CBP has since handed over the investigation to Homeland Security Investigations special agents. The investigation is ongoing and no further information about the individuals involved has been released.

Owned and operated by the City of Laredo, Texas, the fourteen-lane World Trade Bridge connects the United States and Mexico over the Rio Grande.

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While significant, the bust pales in comparison to a 2020 seizure at the same site. In that instance, CPB officers discovered nearly 6,000 kgs of pot hidden in a shipment of toilets.

Manifested as porcelain pots, the weed was discovered in a 2015 Freightliner tractor from Mexico after a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection.

It’s also far from the first time that food has been used in an attempt to hide cannabis.

A less significant but still sugary bust occurred last year when a drug-sniffing dog discovered nearly 2 kgs of cannabis packaged inside a box of Lucky Charms cereal that had shipped to the U.K from a U.S. address.

In 2021, a man in his 20s was charged after police in Ireland discovered nearly $3 million worth of cannabis hidden in boxes of chili peppers.

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Responding to reports of unusual activity, police searched a storage facility containing boxes of vegetables. Further inspection revealed approximately 121 kilograms of cannabis mixed in with the veggies.

Earlier this month, a different tactic led to a significant drug seizure after a shipment of ceiling tiles that originated in Toronto was found to contain 34 kilograms of meth and 38 kg of cannabis. Valued at nearly $4 million, the drug bust is reportedly sparking joint coordination from Hong Kong and Canadian authorities.

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