Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    More marijuana is now being shipped through the U.S. Mail than in recent years, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, whose seizures of marijuana parcels have increased by more than 400 percent since 2007. Traffickers use everyday objects to conceal the drugs. Here, marijuana is packaged inside "Teasdale" cans of corn. The amount of marijuana matched the weight on the label, and the traffickers used a can sealer.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    After obtaining a federal search warrant to examine a suspicious package, inspectors found a Home Depot paint bucket wrapped in plastic. But instead of paint, the five gallon bucket was packed with marijuana.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    Inspectors found eight of these paint buckets. Each contained twelve lbs. of marijuana.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    A jukebox used to conceal marijuana is seized by inspectors in San Diego. The jukebox looked authentic, but inspectors found 10 lbs. of marijuana inside, which had an estimated street value of $350,000.
    Courtesy U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    Four bags of marijuana are placed inside a Black and Decker tool in hopes of sneaking it through the U.S. Mail.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    When a large box arrived at a woman's home in rural South Dakota, she thought her new television had arrived. Instead, she discovered three large bricks of marijuana and called the authorities. Walworth Co. Sheriff Duane Mohr [left] and chief deputy Tom Jeans [right] believe a Mexican drug cartel sent the package to the wrong address. In all, the marijuana weighed approximately 50 lbs. and had an estimated street value of $100,000.
    Courtesy Walworth County, S.D. Sheriff's Office
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    The pungent smell of marijuana is often what gives the packages away, so drug traffickers attempt to conceal the odor. This brick was blanketed with plastic wrap and shipped in heat sealed bags to try and disguise its smell.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    This is a type of mediocre grade, bulk marijuana and valued at up to $1,500 a pound. The actual street value depends upon demand, which differs in various geographic locations.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    An inspector makes her way through a marijuana growing operation in California.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service
  • How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail

    How Marijuana Is Sent Through the U.S. Mail
    Inspectors Jason Chung and Hillary Smith disrupt a marijuana growing operation out of a home near San Francisco.
    Courtesy U.S. Postal Inspection Service