Drug Smugglers Tried to Sneak 2,493 Pounds of Weed Into the US in Giant Fake Carrots

Clever, but not quite clever enough. 

U.S. border patrol officers in Pharr, Texas, found 2,493 pounds of marijuana tucked away inside fake carrots making their way into the state Sunday from Mexico. There were 2,817 pot-stuffed facsimiles hidden among a commercial shipment of real carrots, according to a press release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

Officers made the discovery after referring the vehicle to a "non-intrusive imaging inspection," which CBP uses routinely to X-ray cars, trucks, luggage, mail and more to uncover drugs and other contraband. Authorities then inspected the carrot-carrying tractor-trailer with the help of their canine team and revealed what they estimate to be $499,000 worth of marijuana. 

Mic reached out to CBP for information on the identities of the truck drivers and the charges that will be brought up on, but they were not immediately available for comment. Homeland Security is launching a full investigation of the case — which there is, in fact, a precedent for.

CNN reported that drug smugglers tried to sneak nearly $2 million worth of marijuana and cocaine past the same border patrol checkpoint in November, hiding the substances among (but not inside) carrots and cucumbers. 

The officers responsible for the most recent bust are gearing up for more inventive drug-smuggling schemes. 

"Once again, drug-smuggling organizations have demonstrated their creativity in attempting to smuggle large quantities of narcotics across the U.S./Mexico border," Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. said in the press release. "Our officers are always ready to meet those challenges and remain vigilant towards any type of illicit activities."