Methamphetamines concealed within two clay sculptures on an incoming freight have been seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Cincinnati.
CBP said in a news release that the shipment was set to be delivered to a private residence in Auckland, New Zealand.
“This is just another great example of how CBP works with our international partners throughout the world to combat illegal narcotics,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of the agency's field office in Chicago, said. “In Cincinnati, the officers work round the clock to ensure the safety of Americans and people around the world.”
The discovery was made after X-ray inspections showed inconsistencies in the density of the clay figures while the incoming freight from Canada was being inspected, the release said.
After drilling a hole in each sculpture, the officers discovered a powder inside that later tested positive for methamphetamine.
The total weight of the package totaled was a bit more than 5 pounds, including the sculptures and the seized substance, the release stated. Methamphetamines are classified as a Schedule II stimulant under the Controlled Substances Act, cited to be highly addictive and dangerous.
