More than 2,300lb of methamphetamine was discovered hidden in a load of celery at a farmers’ market in Atlanta, authorities said.
The haul, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said was one of the largest of its kind, was seized at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park.
The DEA had “developed information” about a truck bringing the methamphetamine to the market, Robert Murphy, the DEA’s Atlanta special agent in charge, said at a news conference on Monday.
“This was contained within a cover load of celery. That was what was hiding it,” Murphy said.
“Obviously, we threw away the celery.”
Using produce to conceal drugs has become a frequent tactic of smugglers, authorities said. In May six tons of methamphetamine was found hidden in a shipment of green squash in California, while in March nearly two tons of cocaine was hidden among avocados in Colombia. It is unclear what happened to the squash and avocados.
A Mexican citizen, Jesus Martinez Martinez, was arrested, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
According to its website, the Atlanta State Farmers Market is “a major marketing hub and distribution point for fresh produce in the south-east and throughout the country”. The market has a 4.5-star rating on Trip Advisor, with one reviewer praising its “various selection of products”.
“[The market] is the produce terminal for the United States and if drugs are moving through there, there is a possibility of contamination, and we know that, so it’s important we keep our consumers safe,” Tyler Harper, the agriculture commissioner of Georgia, told Fox 5.
“We’re sending this message loud and clear to those who want to use agriculture as a means to an end, as a cover for criminal activity: you will be caught, you will be prosecuted, and you will go to prison.”
