An 18-pound plastic-wrapped bundle of marijuana was found in a box which was delivered to a city video game store after the shipper apparently listed the store’s address as the return address and it was returned to sender when it could not be delivered in Philadelphia, Penn. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – The staff at a local video game store was surprised to receive an unexpected package recently but they were more surprised when they opened the box and found what was inside.
City police report that a worker at the store called police to report that United Parcel Service delivered a package which was unexpected and was not packaged in the manner usually used by their suppliers.
An employee opened the box in search of a packing slip but did not find one.
Instead, the worker found a large, dense, suitcase-shaped bale of something tightly wrapped in plastic.
The staffer cut the layers of plastic wrap which covered the bale in an effort to determine what it contained and found a red sticky substance oozed out of the cut.
Apparently concerned that the sticky stuff was hazardous, the employee dialed 911 and police and firefighters responded.
Once it was determined that the sticky goo was not a danger, the responding firefighters realized that package contained about 20 pounds of marijuana and deferred to police.
Det. Sgt. Stephen K. Dickinson reports that the marijuana bundle weighs 18 pounds and said that he believes the red substance was a type of grease which may have been used to help seal the bundle or may have been intended to throw any drug sniffing dogs off scent.
Dickinson reports that he found that the package had been shipped from McAllen, a Texas border town, to a Philadelphia, Penn., address which apparently was incomplete.
A note on the shipping record said “a correct company or receiver name is needed for delivery” and directed that the package be returned to the shipper.
Although the parcel was shipped in Texas, the sender had listed the address of the video game store in Westfield as the return address.
A name on the address was not recognized, the store worker reported.
Dickinson said that, depending on the quality of the cannabis, the wholesale cost of marijuana is between $1,000-$3,000 per pound so “That’s probably twenty thousand (dollars) or better” and said that there is probably somebody somewhere who is very disappointed that the package went astray.
