UN Gets 35 Pounds of Cocaine Sent From Mexico

Two forged diplomatic pouches containing a total of 35 pounds (16 kilos) of cocaine were delivered last week to the UN headquarters building in New York, according to a UN official speaking on condition of anonymity.

The packages, delivered to the mail room, were singled out Jan. 16 by security staff during a scan, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

No recipient was identified on the shipment, which was sent from Mexico City, and the badly forged UN logo on the parcels was an effort to get the shipment across the border, the official said.

“Two suspicious mail bags were intercepted by the Security and Safety Service at United Nations headquarters in New York,” according to a statement released by the UN spokesman’s office, which declined to describe the contents.

“The United Nations nor anyone located in the United Nations was the intended recipient of this delivery and the bags were not UN bags, diplomatic or other,” according to the statement.

Paul Browne, a spokesman for the New York Police Department, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment on the delivery.

To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in United Nations at fjackson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net