500 Pounds Of Marijuana Confiscated At Philly Port: Feds

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Customs agents confiscated nearly 500 pounds of marijuana in Philadelphia earlier this month that was headed from Decatur, Georgia to Oxford in the United Kingdom, they announced Friday.

The drugs had a street value of $2.4 million in the United States, and possibly as much as triple that in Europe, authorities said.

The discovery was made Jan. 6 at the port of Philadelphia. Border protection officers discovered the drugs in a shipping container with 80 boxes that were listed on the manifest as clothing.

Seven of the 80 boxes contained marijuana, with a total of 405 vacuum-sealed packages inside, officials said.

Bags were marked with the names of different strains, including Runtzberry, Joker Candy, Galactic Gas, Mega Cherries, and Blue Zooties.

Local officials called the discovery "a bit of an eye-opener," as smugglers rarely attempt to ship marijuana of this bulk in ship cargo.

Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP’s area port director for the area port of Philadelphia, said it could be an indication that organizations are shifting their bulk-smuggling tactics.

“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," Hunt said.

An investigation remains underway.