Mexico to Chicago by rail: 22 tons of pot

December 17, 2010

When Union Pacific took possession of six freight cars interchanged from a Mexican railroad at Eagle Pass, Texas, the manifest showed titanium ore as the contents, and a Chicago warehouse as the destination.

Customs agents were suspicious, and discovered, instead, almost 22,000 pounds of marijuana, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The agents resealed the pot and sent the cars on their way — under seal and under tight surveillance. When the pot was unloaded at the Chicago warehouse, agents arrested seven individuals, where the marijuana was formally seized, reports the Chicago Tribune.

With an estimated $22 million street value, the seizure, according to the Chicago Tribune, may be the largest marijuana seizure in Chicago history.