Thirty-Five Pounds of Cocaine From Mexico Turn Up in U.N. Mailroom

Two forged diplomatic pouches containing a total of 35 pounds (16 kilos) of cocaine were delivered last week to the U.N. headquarters building in New York, according to a U.N. 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 U.N. 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 U.N. 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 U.N. bags, diplomatic or other,” according to the statement.

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