Philadelphia CBP Officers Seize 170 Pounds of Marijuana Destined for the U.K.

PHILADELPHIA - It might be a wacky number of parcels, but this weed won't be getting lit in London any time soon after Customs and Border Protection officers seized a combined 170 pounds of marijuana at a warehouse in Delaware County, Pa., on Monday.

CBP officers found 170 combined pounds in a total of 35 parcels being shipped to the U.K.

While examining export parcels at an international shipping service facility, CBP officers collected 35 parcels that contained marijuana. The parcels were shipped from multiple addresses in California and destined to multiple addresses in the United Kingdom. Seizing 35 export parcels of marijuana in one day is unusual for CBP officers in Philadelphia.

The marijuana weighed a combined 77.4 kilograms, or 170 pounds and 10 ounces. It has a street value of about $800,000 in Philadelphia. Depending on potency, this haul could fetch two to three times more in London.

"Though medical and recreational use of marijuana is being decriminalized in some U.S. states, marijuana possession and bulk smuggling remain illegal under federal law, and so Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to seize it when we encounter it," said Cleatus Hunt, CBP's Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. "This is an unprecedented number of export marijuana parcels that we've seen, but they are also parcels that London consumers won't see."

Federal law prohibits transporting marijuana across state lines or exporting it from the United States. However, CBP is observing a continuing trend of United States-based growers, retailers, and criminal organizations shipping or transporting marijuana to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed can fetch prices many times higher than in the U.S.

CBP officers usually see the marijuana being exported in smaller parcels as in this seizure, but occasionally officers encounter travelers carrying marijuana-stuffed suitcases. Two weeks ago, Philadelphia CBP officers discovered 114 pounds of marijuana concealed inside the baggage of two women who attempted to board a flight to London.

The green, leafy substance field-tested positive for marijuana.

Every day, CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,339 pounds of dangerous drugs last year at and between our nation's air, sea, and land ports of entry. See CBP's enforcement stats to see what other dangerous drugs CBP is encountering at our nation's borders.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation's Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation's safety and economic vitality.

See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2023. Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.