High-potency U.S.-farmed weed fetches more in European markets
STERLING, Va. – Two Las Vegas men are facing felony narcotics possession charges after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered nearly 73 pounds of marijuana in their checked baggage on Thursday at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Virginia State Police troopers charged Kaliq Talib McCallister, 33, and Christian Tyler Knight, 28, with felony possession with intent to distribute, transportation, and narcotics conspiracy charges.
CBP has observed an increasing trend of United States-based growers and retailers shipping 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, but occasionally officers encounter travelers carrying marijuana-stuffed suitcases.
CBP officers discovered large vacuum-sealed bags full of suspected marijuana in three suitcases being loaded onto a Keflavik, Iceland flight. CBP officers identified the travelers and escorted the subjects and baggage back to CBP’s inspection station. Both men were traveling through Iceland to Paris, France.
During a baggage examination, CBP officers retrieved 68 vacuum-sealed bags of a green, leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana. The marijuana weighed a combined 33.08 kilograms, or 72 pounds, 15 ounces, and has a street value of as much as $350,000 in the United States, depending on potency. This load could fetch two to three times more in Paris.
CBP officers turned both men and the marijuana over to Virginia State Police troopers.
“Marijuana remains illegal federally, and travelers who smuggle bulk amounts of marijuana gamble with their freedom to chase a few extra bucks,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection officers are hard to bet against, and our officers will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure smugglers are held accountable.”
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at and between our nation’s air, sea, and land ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.
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.
Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
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