Police in Kentucky have discovered approximately 55 pounds (25 kg) of methamphetamine disguised as Christmas presents during a holiday drug bust. The seizure took place on 22 December in Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville, according to a police press release.
Detectives encountered 23-year-old Jacob Talamantes, from Nebraska, as he exited a vehicle on Bluegrass Parkway. He reportedly attempted to walk away but was detained by officers. A police K9 unit indicated the presence of narcotics after smelling the outside of the vehicle.
Officers opened the trunk and found more than half a dozen boxes wrapped in Christmas paper, which they said contained suspected methamphetamine. Photos released by police show cardboard boxes, discarded wrapping paper, and about 20 plastic bags filled with a white substance.
Talamantes told police he had travelled from Iowa and intended to traffic the drugs. He was arrested and charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance, with further charges possible as the investigation continues. The operation was aided by the Kentucky State Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Jeffersontown Police Chief Richard Sanders said in a statement: 'No amount of festive wrapping can disguise the harm these drugs inflict on families and communities. The coordinated efforts of partner agencies ensured these holiday-wrapped packages never reached the streets.'
Last December, a Canadian woman was arrested in New Zealand for attempting to bring meth wrapped as a Christmas present through an airport.
