Customs Seize Drugs Sent Through Mail
Customs officers, working with police, intercepted multiple parcels containing cannabis this month at a FedEx facility in Lower Estate and at the post office at Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport. The seizures total roughly three kilograms and investigations, including forensic testing, are ongoing.
Customs officers, in joint operations with police, have intercepted multiple parcels containing cannabis that were being moved through postal and courier channels into the British Virgin Islands. BVI News understands that earlier this month officers seized a parcel at a FedEx facility in Lower Estate containing just over one kilogram of cannabis packaged in a standard courier box.
The package was secured for further testing and criminal investigation; it remains unclear where that parcel originated or who it was intended for. Days before, Customs personnel recovered more than three plastic-wrapped packages hidden inside a double-boxed parcel at the post office at Terrance B.
Those packages reportedly weighed approximately two kilograms. Sources say the parcel was shipped from the United States mainland and was addressed to a location in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, though officials are still determining why local postal channels were used in the transit.
While major interdictions across the Virgin Islands have historically focused on large maritime cocaine shipments, authorities say traffickers appear to be shifting tactics by sending smaller consignments of cannabis through courier and postal services. The recent seizures underscore that trend and the ongoing need for vigilance by customs and police.
Customs officers have secured the seized narcotics for forensic testing and handed materials to police as investigations continue. No information has been released about arrests or prosecutions at this stage. Officials reiterated that coordinated operations between Customs and the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force remain central to disrupting drug movement into the territory.
For residents and businesses that regularly send or receive international packages, authorities advise exercising caution: verify sender details, be alert for suspicious packaging or unexpected items, and report concerns to Customs or the police. The use of postal and courier services for illicit consignments not only endangers community safety but also undermines legitimate trade and shipping in the BVI.
Customs and police say they will continue routine inspections and targeted operations at postal and courier facilities as part of broader anti-narcotics efforts. Further updates will be provided as testing and investigations progress.
Primary source: BVI News