Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
$500,000 Worth of "Tobacco Pipes" Seized in Jersey City
By
Jessica Madison
Published Jul 7, 2009
Modified Jul 7, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jessica Madison
Published Jul 7, 2009
Modified Jul 7, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 29,000 glass pipes from an international mail holding facility in Jersey City on June 24. The pipes were part of a shipment from a Canadian company that had been previously charged with transporting drug paraphernalia into the U.S. Although the sale of such smoking accessories is legal, (provided they are marketed as being only for tobacco use--the reason even using the word "bong" in a head shop can get you thrown out the door) certain laws aimed at protecting youth prohibit the transfer of items deemed to be "drug paraphernalia" through the mail. The criteria smoking accessories must meet in order to be considered as such are laid out in U.S. Code 21 § 863(d). Officials place the market value of the pipes at around $500,000, and say they were headed for sale in New York City. Sadly, this means that St. Mark's might be short a few glow-in-the-dark skull bongs this summer.
Tagged
bong
drug paraphanelia
jersey city
pipe
Jessica Madison
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .