Potent marijuana grown in California has become so prized in Britain that traffickers are stuffing suitcases with it and shipping it across the Atlantic on passenger flights, according to U.K. law enforcement officials.
The trade reflects an unintended global consequence of California’s legalization of recreational cannabis in 2016. While the state has cultivated a reputation for boutique dispensaries, artisanal edibles and cutting-edge strains, those same products are now fueling a lucrative black market abroad, where cannabis remains prohibited.
British authorities say they now intercept cannabis-filled luggage arriving from the U.S. at a rate of roughly five seizures a month. The drugs are often vacuum-sealed in plastic bags and packed into checked suitcases with little attempt at concealment.
“What we’re seeing is Californian weed, which demands a price premium in the U.K.,” said Paul Pantry, a senior officer with Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA). “Criminal gangs know they can make huge profits exploiting the difference in legal status.”
On encrypted apps like Telegram, dealers openly advertise dozens of “Cali-imported” strains, sometimes charging more than £400 ($565) per ounce—triple the cost of locally grown cannabis. The allure, experts say, lies in the potency: while traditional British cannabis averages 3–5 percent THC, and skunk ranges from 10–20 percent, lab-tested samples of California strains have reached up to 40 percent.
Rob Ralphs, a criminology professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, said Cali weed has become a “premium product” among young users since about 2020. “The range of strains and strength on offer is unlike anything that was previously available in the U.K.,” he said.
Authorities warn that smuggling operations are increasingly brazen. Couriers—sometimes students or first-time travelers—are recruited with promises of free vacations or quick cash. In some cases, suitcases are discovered packed entirely with cannabis, disguised only by a token layer of clothing.
Airport scanners are optimized for explosives and weapons, not narcotics, leaving enforcement to random searches and canine units. “It’s hidden in plain sight,” Pantry said, adding that the scale of seizures points to an industrial-level export pipeline.
Possession of cannabis in England carries up to five years in prison, while trafficking can mean 14 years. Still, demand for California’s cannabis shows little sign of burning out.
Read the whole article from the New York Times here.
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