Philadelphia, PA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly 500 pounds of marijuana packed inside boxes of supposed clothing during a major drug interception near Philadelphia earlier this month.
Officers conducting a routine export inspection on January 6 uncovered 481 pounds of marijuana concealed in a shipping container bound for Oxford, England. The cargo originated from Decatur, Georgia, and was declared as containing only apparel.
Upon opening the first box, officers found a vacuum-sealed bag of marijuana. Further examination revealed that seven of the eighty boxes contained similar bags, totaling 405 vacuum-sealed packages. Each package bore distinctive labels such as Runtzberry, Joker Candy, Galactic Gas, Mega Cherries, and Blue Zooties—names believed to correspond to specific cannabis strains.
Authorities valued the seized marijuana at approximately $2.4 million in the U.S. market, noting that the same shipment could have sold for up to three times that amount in Europe due to higher street prices for high-potency marijuana.
Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP’s area port director for Philadelphia, said the scale of the seizure was unusual. “We routinely conduct export inspections, but rarely do we encounter marijuana loads of this magnitude in containerized cargo anymore,” Hunt said. “One way to combat transnational criminal organizations is to hit them hard in the wallet by seizing these bulk marijuana loads and depriving them of any ill-gotten gains.”
Key points:
- CBP officers seized 481 pounds of marijuana hidden in 80 boxes declared as clothing
- Shipment originated in Decatur, Georgia, and was bound for Oxford, England
- Marijuana valued at $2.4 million, possibly worth triple in European markets
CBP officials said the interception underscores the agency’s ongoing effort to disrupt drug trafficking through U.S. ports of entry. Nationwide, CBP officers seize an average of more than 1,500 pounds of narcotics daily, including significant amounts of fentanyl and other illegal substances, as part of their mission to safeguard American borders and trade routes.
