Hot Cannabis Seized in Jalapeño Shipment at Border
SAN DIEGO — Officials say they seized $2.3 million worth of cannabis mixed in with a shipment of jalapeño peppers at a Southern California port.
A Customs and Border Protection K-9 unit alerted officers to a shipment of peppers Thursday at the Otay Mesa cargo facility in San Diego.
A CBP news release says officers discovered more than 7,500 pounds (3,401 kilograms) of marijuana in the peppers’ pallets.
Earlier Seizure in Auto Parts Shipment
Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan congratulated the officers on Twitter and noted it was the second large seizure of illicit cannabis there within days.
Authorities seized more than 10,600 lbs. (4,808 kilograms) of marijuana in a shipment of plastic auto parts at the port Tuesday.
Flavored Product
It’s unclear exactly what metric customs and border officials used to estimate the value of the seized cannabis. At $100 an ounce, a ballpark wholesale price, the 3,401 kg in the jalapeño shipment would realize $12 million.
Of course, there might have been some markdown estimated for product tainted by the hot pepper marination. Feature or bug, it’s hard to say, but this is probably one batch of fire weed worth passing on.
Leafly staff contributed to this report.
