US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents seized 3,947 pounds of marijuana passed off as key limes at the US-Mexico border last week.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the incident occurred on January 30 in Pharr, Texas. CBP officers allegedly made the find during a secondary inspection of a 2001 Freightliner tractor at the International Bridge cargo facility.
“CBP officers utilized a non-intrusive imagining (NII) system along with the help of a canine team to locate the narcotics,” the press release read. “CBP officers extracted 34,764 packages containing a total of 3,947.37 pounds of alleged marijuana commingled within the shipment of key limes.”
The two tons of weed is reportedly worth nearly $800,000. Mashable mentioned that this equals out to almost $200 per pound.
“This is an outstanding interception of narcotics. Our CBP officers continue to excel in their knowledge of smuggling techniques which allows them to intercept these kinds of attempts to introduce narcotics into our country,” Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. commented.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is currently investigating the occurrence, according to the CBP.
This isn’t the first time “limes” were used to unsuccessfully smuggle drugs. In August, CBP and Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers intercepted 4,064 pounds of weed in a commercial shipment of limes at the same location. Once again, dogs managed to sniff out the sketchy shipment—hauling $812,836 worth of marijuana.
In May, CBP claimed they caught 1,423 pounds of weed stuffed in coconuts. The contraband was reportedly passed off in 2,486 packages and worth approximately $285,000.
[Feature Photo: US Customs and Border Patrol]