Police say they seized 39 pounds of "high quality" marijuana that was shipped to two separate addresses in Austin. The bust was conducted by an APD K-9 unit, an APD SWAT team, and United States Postal Inspectors. You can see a slideshow of the alleged haul below.
Updated at 2:32 pm: We have additional details from the Austin police Sergeant Will Lefebvre. He says US Postal Service employees suspected that the two packages contained marijuana. Lefebvre said he could not disclose what the indications were because it could compromise the USPS investigation. But he says they couldn't smell any marijuana.
USPS agents contacted Austin police, who brought in a K-9 unit to sniff the packages. The dog gave a "positive alert", clearing the way for postal agents to obtain a federal search warrant and open the boxes. Police confirmed the contents were "hydro," Lefebvre said, meaning marijuana grown indoors in a hydroponic garden.
US Postal Inspection agents posed as postal employees and delivered the packages and then arrested the men who answered the door. One package was delivered to 3818 Southway #104. Police say that box contained 11 pounds of marijuana in vacuum sealed bags. The other package was delivered to 604 W. 25th St. That box allegedly contained 28 sealed cans, each containing a vacuum sealed bag with one pound of pot.
The approximate wholesale value of the marijuana is $4,500 per pound, with a total value of $126,000, according to APD. Both suspects are in their late-20s and neither has any criminal history, Lefebvre said.
Sgt. Lefebvre said the marijuana was shipped from California, where pot can be grown legally for medicinal purposes by a licensed operation. California law forbids shipping marijuana outside state borders.
