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Agents find more than 2,300 pounds of meth hidden in celery at Georgia farmers market
Celery was used to conceal more than 2,300 pounds of meth that federal agents discovered in a truck at a farmers market outside Atlanta, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said.
In what the DEA called one of the largest seizures of its kind, agents confiscated the drugs being delivered to the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, authorities said at a Monday news conference, WAGA-TV reported.
The agency had learned about a semitrailer coming across the Mexican border and agents tracked the drugs to the farmers market, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert Murphy. The drugs were found inside the truck, he said.
“This was contained in a cover load of celery,” Murphy said. “It was hiding in the celery. Obviously, we threw away the celery. That didn’t make it to the store.”
A Mexican citizen was arrested, the Atlanta TV station reported. Details about the suspect and charges were not immediately available Tuesday.
Using produce to conceal drugs has become a frequent tactic of smugglers, authorities said.
Meth is a highly addictive stimulant, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It’s primarily manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Overdosing on meth can cause death from stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating.
Celery isn’t the first vegetable meth has been found in. Earlier this year, dogs helped detect nearly 6 tons of meth hidden inside a squash shipment in California. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents found more than 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine hidden in bins of jalapeño paste being transported over the border.
Drugs have also been found concealed in shipments of green beans, stashed in sugar shipments and being smuggled in flour bags and candy boxes, CBS News previously reported. Cocaine has been also been found hidden inside banana shipments several times across the globe over the last year.
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Paris Hilton’s bill to protect minors at residential treatment facilities heads to president’s desk
Heiress, model and actor Paris Hilton is the force behind a bill headed to President Biden’s desk that’s aimed at preventing the abuse of minors at rehab and other residential facilities.
The House passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in a bipartisan 373-33 vote Wednesday, after the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent earlier in the week. It’s a cause that’s personal to Hilton, who says she was abused at residential treatment facilities as a teen. Hilton lived in a series of residential treatment facilities from the age of 16, testifying before Congress in June that she had been violently restrained, stripped of clothing and tossed into solitary confinement, among other experiences.
“Today is a day I will never forget,” Hilton wrote on Instagram. “After years of sharing my story and advocating on Capitol Hill, the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act has officially passed the U.S Congress. This moment is proof that our voices matter, that speaking out can spark change, and that no child should ever endure the horrors of abuse in silence. I did this for the younger version of myself and the youth who were senselessly taken from us by the Troubled Teen Industry.”
Now 43, Hilton has championed child protection legislation on Capitol Hill for years, encouraging lawmakers to pass regulations to help protect troubled teens from abuse at treatment centers. Hilton met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, urging them to take up the legislation before the 118th Congress ends.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna introduced the legislation in the House and Senate, and they were joined by Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Tommy Tuberville and Republican Rep. Buddy Carter.
“Children across the country are at risk of abuse and neglect due to a lack of transparency in institutional youth treatment programs,” Khanna said in a statement. “The industry has gone unchecked for too long. Paris Hilton and other survivors of abuse in this broken system have bravely shared their stories and inspired change. I’m proud to lead this legislation with my colleagues to protect the safety and well-being of kids.”
The legislation creates a federal work group on youth residential programs to oversee the health, safety, care, treatment and placement of minors in rehab and other facilities. It also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to make contact with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to make recommendations about state oversight of such programs.
Hilton is the great-grandaughter of Conrad Hilton, who founded Hilton Hotels.
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