Key Questions
How much marijuana did CBP seize in Baltimore?
CBP officers seized more than 10,600 pounds (about 4,815 kilograms) of marijuana in Baltimore on May 29, 2026, concealed inside a shipping container.
Where was the marijuana seized in Baltimore headed?
The container was destined for Liverpool, England, and had been manifested as a shipment of men’s cotton and nylon shirts.
How much is the seized marijuana worth?
CBP estimates the load’s U.S. street value at $24 million, with the potential to fetch roughly double that amount once sold in Europe.
Were any arrests made in the Baltimore marijuana seizure?
No arrests have been made as of the announcement. Homeland Security Investigations is continuing the investigation.
Is marijuana legal to export from the United States?
No. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, and federal law also prohibits transporting it across state lines or exporting it from the U.S., regardless of state-level legalization.
How much marijuana has CBP seized nationwide in 2026?
CBP seized approximately 190,000 pounds of marijuana nationwide during the first seven months of the current fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026), already surpassing the roughly 185,000 pounds seized during the entire previous fiscal year.
Is Europe-bound marijuana smuggling a growing trend?
Yes. CBP reports a pattern of transnational criminal organizations attempting to move marijuana to Europe, including recent seizures at Washington Dulles, Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall, and Philadelphia International airports, as well as a large truck seizure at the Peace Bridge crossing in Buffalo.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 10,600 pounds of cannabis in Baltimore on May 29, concealed inside a shipping container destined for Liverpool, England, in a bust officials say echoes the smuggling era of the 1980s.
The container, originating from Nassau County, N.Y., was manifested as a shipment of men’s cotton and nylon shirts. Instead, CBP officers found 238 boxes packed with vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis during a routine export inspection. A narcotics detector dog named Letti, a 2-year-old German shepherd, flagged the boxes during the search.
The seized cannabis weighed roughly 4,815 kilograms (10,615 pounds) and carries an estimated U.S. street value of $24 million — a figure CBP says could double once sold in Europe, where high-quality cannabis commands a significant premium.
No arrests have been made. Homeland Security Investigations is continuing the case.
“This is a recklessly brazen attempt to smuggle over five tons of marijuana through Baltimore to Europe, and an incredible effort by exceptionally professional Customs and Border Protection officers to intercept it,” said Adam Rottman, CBP’s Area Port Director in Baltimore.
HSI Special Agent in Charge Akil Baldwin framed the seizure as part of a broader effort to keep criminal organizations from exploiting commercial trade infrastructure. “This scheme to move multi-ton drug loads through commercial cargo channels represents an abuse of the same infrastructure that supports legitimate trade, drives up security and inspection costs, and places an additional burden on the communities that depend on these ports,” Baldwin said.
Despite widespread state-level legalization in the U.S., cannabis remains illegal under federal law, as does transporting it across state lines or exporting it abroad — and CBP says Europe-bound smuggling attempts have become a recurring trend. Officers say the activity is increasingly showing up not just in large freight shipments, but also in kilo-sized parcels moved through express air delivery and in passenger baggage.
The Baltimore seizure follows several other recent regional busts:
- 57 pounds of cannabis in London-bound passenger baggage at Washington Dulles International Airport
- 247 pounds across four London-bound shipments at Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport
- 97 pounds in two loads destined for London and Frankfurt at Philadelphia International Airport (some travelers now face criminal charges)
- Over 1,600 pounds intercepted in a commercial truck at the Peace Bridge crossing in Buffalo
- Nearly 500 pounds seized in an England-bound shipping container in Philadelphia back in January
CBP reports seizing about 185,000 pounds of cannabis nationwide during the last fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2024 – Sept. 30, 2025), and has already topped that pace with roughly 190,000 pounds seized in just the first seven months of the current fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026).
