Smugglers Attempt To Transport Drug In Holiday Candles

EL PASO — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the El Paso port of entry made an unusual marijuana seizure Saturday. CBP officers seized 30 pounds of the drug that were concealed in six large holiday candles being transported across the border by a juvenile.

The seizure was made late Saturday at the Ysleta crossing in El Paso. CBP officers were performing inspections when a taxi arrived from Mexico transporting a 17-year-old El Paso boy and his belongings. CBP officers initiated a search of the vehicle and discovered a large cardboard box in the trunk that contained six holiday candles.

CBP drug sniffing dog “Shadow” alerted to the candles. CBP officers probed a candle and discovered a substance that tested positive for marijuana hidden inside.

The boy told CBP officers that the candles were given to him by his grandmother and were intended to be a gift for his mother. The youth was taken into custody by the El Paso Police Department.

“This is certainly one of the most unusual concealment methods we have seen in a while,” said Polly Figueroa, U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting El Paso Port Director. “This seizure proves again that smugglers are only limited by their imagination. It also demonstrates that CBP officers remain vigilant to protect the American public from any threat they encounter.”