Baskets of Opium from Laos Found at O’Hare by Drug-Sniffing Dog
Updated: Wednesday, 09 Feb 2011, 1:10 PM CST Published : Wednesday, 09 Feb 2011, 1:10 PM CST
Sun-Times Media Wire
Chicago - A shipment of wicker baskets from Laos that arrived at O'Hare on Monday had a lot more than ornamental value. More than eight pounds of opium was found inside by drug-sniffing dog working for the federal government.
The shipment was seized by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and his canine partner at the international mail facility at O'Hare, according to a release from CBP.
While screening arriving international mail, the dog named Allen called attention to two parcels from Laos and, after examination, opium was discovered woven between the layers of wicker, the release said.
The parcels, destined for Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., were listed as containing “Handy Crafts” and “Sticky Rice Baskets.” The officer opened the parcels to find unusually heavy and thick wicker baskets which x-rays showed to have anomalies and unusual densities.
Upon cutting the baskets open, officers found a black, tar-like substance wrapped in plastic which field tested positive for opiates. Inspection of the parcels resulted in the discovery of 13 baskets containing a total weight of 8.73 pounds, the release said. The shippers and the recipients are currently under investigation.
“Smugglers have months and years to devise and conceive ways to try to defeat our enforcement efforts," David J. Murphy, Chicago CBP director, said in the release. "However our trained officers and in this case our four-legged partners have the nose to ferret this out.”
CBP officers and agriculture specialists are stationed at foreign mail facilities across the country, screening arriving international mail for contraband or prohibited items being shipped into the country.
