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Are These Cute Kitty Cat Statues... or Opium Repositories?
By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 18, 2011
Modified Feb 18, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published Feb 18, 2011
Modified Feb 18, 2011
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Mee-ow! Last month Customs officials got a suspicious a package of "plastic samples" sent from Thailand to an address in New York. Though the package, which included 30 porcelain feline figurines, got through initial scans ok, something wasn't quite right. Another round of X-rays revealed plastic-wrapped packages inside the kitties and a little broken porcelain later and authorities had themselves 205 pounds of raw opium.
No arrests have been made yet in regards to the find, estimated to be worth about $9 million.
What we find interesting is that somebody out there is still moving raw opium. We were under the impression that at this point it is easier (and more profitable) to refine the drug down to heroin before you hide it inside random objects (oh, Lost). An impression validated by a Customs spokesman, who says that "opium was kind of unusual to find, especially in that quantity."
Also interesting? Apparently the brown tar-like substance that is raw opium isn't necessarily completely identifiable on the spot. When the pussies were popped open field tests on the substance inside "were inconclusive, but a lab analysis identified the contraband opium," according to Robert Perez, director of CBP's field operations in New York.
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customs
drug smuggling
JFK
opium
thailand
Garth Johnston
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