Though some nearby states have legalized the drug, federal law prohibits sending marijuana through the mail system.
Despite this, postal inspectors say they’ve seen tons of marijuana in the mail, which is a federal offense.
“Often, we’ll get calls from our carriers or a postmaster at a post office that gets a package that they suspect is narcotics,” said Rick Johnsten with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
A search warrant is needed to open the package, which is usually tipped off by a notable smell, a lot of packing tape, and with an origin address from a state with lax drug laws.
Ron Stucker with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation spoke about the process.
“Drug traffickers are running a business, like a legitimate business, and they have to figure out how to get their product from point A to point B,” said Stucker.