Cincinnati CBP Officers Discover Marijuana in Tombstone

Creative smuggling technique doesn't fool federal officials.

CBP: While conducting enforcement operations at the DHL facility in Cincinnati, CBP officers discovered over 52 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tombstone.

(CINCINNATI) - Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Cincinnati DHL express consignment operation seized more than 52 pounds of marijuana last week. While the seizure of marijuana being smuggled into the country is nothing new to these officers, the method of concealment was something they had never seen before.

While conducting enforcement operations at the DHL facility in Cincinnati, CBP officers discovered over 52 pounds of marijuana hidden in a tombstone.

While conducting enforcement operations the officers became suspicious of a tombstone being shipped from Kingston, Jamaica to London, England.

“Why would someone ship a tombstone?” was the first thought of the officers. CBP narcotics detection dog “Rouge” alerted aggressively to the parcel and an x-ray examination revealed anomalies which resulted in the discovery of packages of marijuana.

The packages were concealed within a metal box, wrapped in metal mesh and hidden inside the concrete tombstone. The street value of the marijuana is approximately $52,000.

“This method of concealment further shows the great lengths drug smugglers will use to try to hide their product,” said Brian Humphrey, acting CBP director of field operations in Chicago.

“I am very pleased with the officers' use of their intuition, experience and available resources in the detection and interdiction of this marijuana shipment.”

CBP officers and agriculture specialists are stationed at the express consignment facilities located throughout the country. CBP constantly conducts enforcement operations on international parcels and on the lookout for any type of contraband or prohibited items being shipped to the U.S.

Source: US Customs and Border Patrol news release