The nearly seven pounds of methamphetamine seized by Customs and Border Control in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

By Jillian Pikora From Daily Voice

A massive haul of crystal meth hidden inside an overseas parcel was intercepted before it ever left Pennsylvania, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday, Dec. 4.

CBP officers discovered the drugs during an x-ray exam at an international shipping service facility in Delaware County on Tuesday, Dec. 2, according to the release.

Inside the package — which was headed to an address in the Netherlands — officers found a cloudy crystal-like substance packed into several zip-lock bags. A handheld elemental isotope tool confirmed it was d-Methamphetamine hydrochloride, officials said.

The meth weighed 3.05 kilograms — nearly six pounds and 12 ounces — with an estimated U.S. street value of $240,000, and potentially more overseas depending on purity, authorities detailed.

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance and is often produced with toxic, flammable, and corrosive chemicals, CBP noted. Users may suffer severe health risks including paranoia, anxiety, rapid or irregular heartbeat, stroke, and “meth mouth,” which causes extensive tooth and gum decay.

“Customs and Border Protection officers continue to work diligently to hold the line against the scourge of dangerous drugs along our nation’s borders, and we will continue to intercept that illicit poison before it can harm our communities or hurt our friends overseas,” Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, said in the release.

CBP officers and agents seized an average of 1,571 pounds of dangerous drugs every day last year at air, sea, and land ports across the country, according to federal enforcement data.