Celery was used to hide more than 2,300 pounds of meth that federal agents discovered in a truck at a farmers market outside Atlanta, the US Drug Enforcement Administration said.
In what the DEA called one of the largest seizures of its kind, agents seized the drugs being delivered to the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, authorities said at a news conference Monday. WAGA-TV reported.
The agency had learned of a semi-trailer coming across the Mexican border and agents tracked the drugs to the farmers market, said DEA Special Agent Robert Murphy. Drugs were found inside the truck, he said.
“This was in a cover load of celery,” Murphy said. “It hid in the celery. Obviously we threw the celery away. It didn’t make it to the store.”
A Mexican citizen was arrested, the Atlanta TV station reported. Details about the suspect and the charges were not immediately available Tuesday.
Using products to hide drugs has become a frequent tactic for smugglers, authorities said.
Meth is a highly addictive stimulant, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is manufactured and distributed primarily in the United States by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Overdosing on meth can cause death from stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating.
Celery isn’t the first vegetable meth has been found in. Earlier this year, dogs helped uncover nearly 6 tons of meth hidden in a shipment of squash in California. Last year, US Customs and Border Protection agents found more than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden in bins of jalapeño paste transported across the border.
Drugs have also been found hidden in transportation of green beanshidden in sugar shipments and to be smuggled in flour bags and candy boxesCBS News previously reported. Cocaine has also been found hidden inside banana shipments several times all over the world in the last year.