SHENZHEN Customs in Guangdong Province recently discovered 11.5 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside carpets shipped from the Middle East. The shipment was declared as carpets, but X-ray images revealed irregular suspicious breakpoints. During a physical inspection, officers initially found no significant anomalies. However, samples taken using toothpicks tested positive for methamphetamine. “We suspect that the methamphetamine was concealed using a soaking method, so we tapped with the small sticks. The white powder that came off tested positive. Because the quantity was small, the white particles were not very noticeable,” said an officer of Shenzhen Customs. Upon further examination, customs officers conducted a partial minimally invasive dismantling and discovered transparent plastic tubes filled with white powder hidden within the carpets’ weave. Reagent testing confirmed the substance was methamphetamine, weighing over 11.5 kilograms. Shenzhen Post Customs noted that the postal delivery channel, with its extensive network, separation of people and goods, and strong concealment characteristics, has become a hotspot for drug smuggling. Hiding drugs within items such as cosmetics and food products is a common method of concealment in express shipments. Some methods are even more discreet, such as cocaine hidden in clothes hangers, marijuana concealed in hard drives, and mephedrone stashed inside canned creams.(China Daily) | 