PHILADELPHIA – People send family and friends greeting cards for a variety of reasons, including birthdays, graduations, and weddings. But U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia warn that sending heroin-stuffed greeting cards is a definite no-no.
card heroin smuggling attempt was
unsuccessful.
CBP officers encountered an international air parcel from the Netherlands and destined for Washington, D.C., on April 29 that was manifested as important documents. Inside that flat parcel, CBP officers discovered an air-sealed and laminated greeting card. After unsealing the greeting card, officers discovered a tan powder in its own laminate sandwiched between cardboard. The powder, which weighed eight grams, field-tested positive for heroin. The heroin has a street value of approximately $500.
“This heroin interception is another example of how Customs and Border Protection officers exercise vigilance to deftly uncover creative narcotics concealment methods. CBP officers’ border enforcement mission and inspections expertise helps to keep our communities safe,” said Kevin Donohue, Acting CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia.
Authorities made no arrests. An investigation continues.
CBP routinely conducts random inspections operations on international passengers and cargo and searches for narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products.
a greeting card.
On a typical day, CBP seizes more than 9,000 pounds of illicit drugs along our nation’s borders. Learn more about what CBP's accomplishes in "A Typical Day."
“Narcotics interdiction remains an enforcement priority for Customs and Border Protection, and it’s a responsibility that we take seriously,” said Casey Owen Durst, CBP’s Field Operations Director in Baltimore, the agency’s operational commander in the mid-Atlantic region.
Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn how CBP Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.