Over A Ton Of Marijuana Found In Frozen Avocado Shipment
(STMW) -- Authorities found more than $10 million worth of marijuana last week, hidden in a shipment of frozen avocado pulp at a west suburban cold storage facility.
Workers at the facility in the 8400 block of West 47th Street in Lyons called police on March 4 after they noticed a suspicious shipment had arrived, bearing instructions "for an urgent pick-up," according to the Cook County sheriff's office.
Sheriff's police responded with a narcotics-sniffing dog, which detected drugs inside the pallets, police said.
Authorities ultimately found 2,100 pounds of marijuana—more than a ton—hidden in roughly 1,500 packages of frozen avocado pulp, police said. The drugs were packed into flat bricks and covered in the pulp.
The drugs have an estimated street value of $10 million, police said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and sheriff's police continue to investigate.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)