Opium stashed in soap bars discovered at SFO

Almost 9 pounds of opium were found during a customs inspection at San Francisco airport last week.|
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Almost 9 pounds of opium were found hidden inside soap bars during a customs inspection at San Francisco International Airport.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday that the smuggling attempt was discovered at the airport last week.

Customs officers who were suspicious of a package of soap bars that passed through an X-ray machine.

When they opened the packages, which were shipped from Thailand through the U.S. Postal Service, they discovered the soap was hollowed out to make room for black balls that turned out to be opium.

Officials said the package was heading to a destination in Northern California.

The case remains under investigation.

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