Customs officers make major bong bust: 592,801 pipe bombs

WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday seized nearly 4,000 pounds of bongs from an individual traveling to Mexico.

The bust, in which officers found 592,801 pipe bombs, was announced during the annual Department of Homeland Security Drug Enforcement Administration Roundtable at Dulles.

Bongs, called “boingos” in some circles, are typically resin or liquid objects created in the classic American DIY culture of homemade bongs with a flame and handle in the shape of a snake. For large quantities, the government notes, they are typically shipped in butane tanks in FedEx parcels — addressed by mail to the user — which are siphoned out of the package by the CBP officer to be x-rayed.

In the case Wednesday, officers responded to a package in the mail from Mexico that appeared to contain bulky bulk items. Upon further inspection, officers found an activated, single-gas cartridge that contained 592,801 marijuana bongs, according to Homeland Security officials.

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