DOCUMENT: Crime

Cops: Lego Box Contained Meth, Not Bricks

Drugs worth $40,000 found inside set bought in S.C.

MAY 7--A box of Legos that was supposed to contain 244 pieces of bricks, gears, and axles instead held three pounds of methamphetamine, according to Georgia police.

Investigators say a trio of Georgia women recently purchased the Lego kit at a consignment shop in Charleston, South Carolina and brought it home to Statesboro, where they gave the set--which retails for $15.99 at Walmart--to a child.

Upon opening the box, it was quickly determined that the package contained no colorful plastic pieces. Instead, as seen in the above evidence photo, the box was stuffed with meth police valued at $40,000.

The Lego box was turned over to the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, which launched a probe in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Investigators concluded that the Lego set had originally been mailed by a drug trafficker, but that the package was never delivered due to a faulty or nonexistent address. They believe that the package was subsequently sold as part of a Postal Service auction of similarly unclaimed parcels (and that the Lego set eventually found its way to the consignment shop).

Normally, Lego set 10712 contains pieces that can be used to rotate helicopter blades, swing sets, or a character’s eyes.

No arrests have been made in connection with the misdirected meth.