SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Cindy Davidson came to the NPS store in Salt Lake City, Utah looking for a bargain. The discount store sells odd and damaged lots.
For Cindy and others, shopping at NPS is like a treasure hunt. But last Saturday, Cindy found someone else's "treasure" hidden in a box of tampons.
Cindy said, "There was cellophane filled with white powder." She called police and the white powder was checked out by a Hazmat team.
"I thought it was a terrorist attack, maybe," she remembered. But no. It wasn't. The white powder was cocaine.
The tampon box was apparently used in an attempt to smuggle the illegal drug past authorities.
ABC 4 News did some checking and found out that at an air freight hub for DHL, US Customs agents have seen that and more.
Officer Adam Vance pointed to an x-ray and said, "It's manifested as carpet, but as you can see, there's a little more than carpet in there." What he found were illegal drugs from Somalia.
Other smugglers are true artists, framing a painting with heroin and printing another on pure cocaine. They've also hidden morphine in drums, a kid's computer game and a Sponge Bob Square Pants toy.
Officer Vance said, "They're changing all the time -- they're changing their techniques."
As for the cocaine found in Cindy's box of tampons, The NPS manager tells ABC 4 that they have traced the box to a shipper. From there, police should be able to find the source.
