80 Pounds of Cocaine and Heroin Found in Flower Shipments at MIA Over the Past Two Years

Miami is the Flower import capitol of America. It's also a drug import capitol. A lot of our flowers come from Colombia. A lot of our drugs from Colombia. Given that information, perhaps it's not all that surprising that customers officials keep finding astounding amounts of drugs hidden with in...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

August 21, 2015

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Miami is the flower import capital of America. It's also a drug import capital. A lot of our flowers come from Colombia. A lot of our drugs from Colombia. Given that information, perhaps it's not all that surprising that customs officials keep finding astounding amounts of drugs hidden within flower shipments at Miami International Airport.

In fact, since January 2014 alone, the Associated Press reports that more than 80 pounds of cocaine and heroin have been found in flower shipments at MIA. Most come from either Colombia or Ecuador.

When it comes to flowers, U.S. Customs and Borders Protections officials are typically worried about screening them for foreign insects and pests, and yet they keep also finding drugs. Some of the drugs are hidden in the boxes the flowers are shipped with, yet others have been hidden within the flowers themselves. So much so that there's some worry about the potential health concerns of someone taking a sniff of flowers and possibly getting a nose full of cocaine.

The CBP says it's working with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations to track down the source of the trafficking.

“We are very proud of our CBP officers’ hard work and attention to detail," said Miami International Airport Port Director Christopher Maston in a statement. "These seizures over the last two years demonstrate their commitment to keeping drugs out of the U.S. while facilitating lawful international trade."

Kyle Munzenrieder

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