Odd Drug Busts Continue Amid Border Crisis

HOUSTON, Texas — It appears that drug smugglers are turning to more creative tactics, as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have recently seized large amounts of drugs under rather unusual circumstances.

On August 28, CBP officers seized 3,370 pounds of marijuana hidden in a shipment of Christmas bows, according to a federal press release. The large bust occurred at California’s Otay Mesa check point. 

The drugs were discovered in a tractor trailer being driven by a 28-year-old Mexican citizen. After officers referred the vehicle for an in-depth secondary inspection, an “imaging system” revealed “anomalies with the cargo,” according to CBP.

Ultimately, the marijuana was discovered in 209 large packages that were inside the Christmas bow boxes. CBP estimated that the drugs have a street value of $1.5 million. 

Just one day later, on August 29, CBP authorities at Miami International Airport  (MIA) conducted another strange drug bust; they found three pounds of heroin in a shipment of flowers. The drugs–which were reportedly entering the U.S. from Columbia–had a street value of $150,000. 

Rolan Suliveras of the MIA port praised the officers who conducted the bust. He said in a statement, “This is good example of CBP’s effort to secure our borders and ensure aviation security through the detection and interdiction of contraband concealed within air cargo. … CBP’s ability to interdict these narcotics at the port of entry prevents these dangerous drugs from entering our community.”

A few days prior, yet another odd drug bust occurred, this time in Houston. A 46-year-old man from El Salvador was caught smuggling seven ounces of cocaine hidden in tamales. Authorities intercepted the attempted smuggling at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. A CBP statement obtained by Breitbart Texas claimed that the suspect was trying to get to New York. 

The drugs were found while the man’s luggage was being examined. 

Many have speculated that drug smugglers are having a field day amid the border crisis. 

Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby reported that many Border Patrol agents are currently busy taking care of the influx of unaccompanied minors from Central America, instead of manning the border; rural areas outside of the Rio Grande Valley Sector tend to be especially unsecured. 

Follow Kristin Tate @KristinBTate.