Customs agents seize 909 pounds of marijuana in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Customs agents in Kentucky seized more than 900 pounds of marijuana last week, authorities said.

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According to a news release issued on Monday from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, customs officers in Louisville seized 36 boxes containing 909 pounds of marijuana on April 25.

The marijuana was vacuum-sealed and packaged in the boxes on three pallets, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Customs officials said the marijuana would have had a street value of more than $2.27 million, according to the newspaper.

The shipment originated in Canada and was headed to a corporation in California, customs officials said. The marijuana was discovered after officers took an X-ray and spotted an “organic anomaly inconsistent with the manifested items and inspected the shipment.”

The vacuum-sealed packages contained “a green leafy substance” that tested positive for marijuana, customs officials said.

Medical and recreational marijuana is legal in some states, but the sale, possession, production, and distribution of marijuana remains illegal under U.S. federal law, according to the Herald-Leader.

“Our officers are focused on their mission to protect the United States,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations for the Chicago Field Office, said in a statement. “Smugglers constantly try to send illegal drugs into the country, but our officers are there to stop these narcotics from reaching our communities.”