PHILADELPHIA – The following story was no yarn. The threads of this seizure were knitted together by people in different locations, but it was the Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia who had a skein-dalous ball unspooling and counting out a huge Xanax load they seized on Friday.
In total, CBP officers seized 10,060 Alprazolam pills that were uniquely concealed inside numerous spools of yarn in a shipment from the Netherlands.
Alprazolam, of which Xanax is a known brand name, is a scheduled IV controlled substance and a commonly prescribed psychotropic medication to manage panic and anxiety disorders. Alprazolam is misused as a recreational drug, and when combined with other substances, such as alcohol, can slow breathing and possibly lead to death.
Even more concerning is the potential for FDA-unapproved pharmaceuticals to be manufactured outside of the United States with unsafe ingredients, such as fentanyl.
For this seizure, CBP officers were alerted on April 26 by CBP’s trade enforcement experts at the Baltimore Field Office who reviewed incoming cargo manifests and suspected that something may be amiss with this shipment.
Philadelphia CBP officers found the suspect shipment on the same day while inspecting express consignment parcels that arrived from overseas. Officers x-rayed the shipment and detected anomalies. Officers then opened the shipment and discovered a dozen spools of yarn that were unusually heavy.
CBP officers then unraveled the yarn which revealed stacks of 10-pill blister packs taped to the inner spool.
In total, CBP officers seized 1,006 blister packs of 1 mg dose Alprazolam, worth a street value of about $30,000.
The shipment was destined to an address in Brooklyn N.Y.
No arrests have been made. An investigation continues.
“Transnational criminal organizations take enormous steps to conceal their illicit products hoping to evade detection; however, Customs and Border Protection trade experts and officers are exceptionally skilled at identifying potentially anomalous shipments and detecting unique concealment methods,” said Tater Ortiz, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia.
Consumers should also be aware that pharmaceuticals purchased from unregulated manufacturers or internet sources overseas pose serious health threats. Consumers can protect themselves and their families by only buying prescription medicines from U.S. pharmacies.
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at and between our nation’s air, sea, and land ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "a Typical Day" in 2022.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
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