Drug smuggling

Mexican drug cartel members busted smuggling $1M of meth in genitalia-shaped candles, officials say

Alleged members of a Mexican drug cartel were busted Tuesday trying to smuggle $1 million worth of methamphetamine into New York and New Jersey -- by concealing it in genitalia-shaped candles.

Five suspects were arrested when undercover Drug Enforcement Agency agents allegedly tricked drug traffickers into delivering 1,300 pounds of candles full of drugs to a warehouse in Paterson, N.J. Some of the candles were phallic-shaped while others had religious themes, officials said.

“DEA has seen drugs smuggled in numerous ways: concealed in puppies, lollipops, furniture, and produce,” DEA Special Agent-in-Charge James Hunt said. "But secreting a million dollars worth of methamphetamine in wax candles of various shapes is shocking. This seizure signifies that drug trafficking organizations are determined to create a stronghold of meth users in the Northeast.”