Hundreds of grams of methamphetamine were found stuffed inside peanut shells at an express consignment hub in Memphis, Tennessee, officials said Monday.
On June 29, CBP officers using an X-ray device said they spotted “suspicious anomalies” within a shipment labeled as “regional bread roasted peanuts regional dust sweet made of corn.”
CBP officers reportedly cracked open the peanuts and found a white crystal substance – later determined to be methamphetamine – concealed inside the shells.
The total weight of the methamphetamine was 489 grams and is being held by CBP while awaiting destruction, officials said. The meth shipment originated in Mexico and was headed to east Texas.
The methamphetamine “would be worth between $9,780 and $29,340” on the street, Matthew Dyman, a CBP spokesman, said.
“It would appear that people pried each peanut shell apart, then took the peanuts out and put the narcotics inside,” Dyman told FreightWaves.
Dyman said no arrests have been made at this time.
“CBP makes notes of shippers and consignees for future seizures and potential investigations,” Dyman said.
The meth seizure took place in the Area Port of Memphis, which covers ports of entry throughout the state of Tennessee and falls under CBP’s New Orleans field office.
Michael Neipert, CBP’s New Orleans port director, said drug smugglers will try to hide narcotics in anything.
“Narcotics in fruit, nuts, baked goods, shoes, toys and all kinds of other items disguised as gifts or other legitimate shipments fly through the express consignment world. These days you can get a gram of methamphetamine at half the price of what cocaine costs and at twice the potency,” Neipert said in a statement.
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