44 Pounds of Cocaine 'Frosted' Corn Flakes Seized by U.S. Customs

On Friday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced they had intercepted what may be the all-time priciest boxes of frosted flakes—with a total estimated value of $2,822,400. The secret behind the high sticker price? These corn flakes were literally "frosted" with cocaine.

CBP said they discovered the cocaine-coated cereal on February 13 in a shipment from Peru that found a new home with U.S. federal agents in Cincinnati after being intercepted on its way to a private residence in Hong Kong. (Why these drugs were routed through Ohio on their way from South America to Asia wasn't mentioned.) Authorities say the 44-pound shipment of Angel brand Corn Flakes was sniffed out by CBP Narcotic Detector Dog "Bico," and when officers took a closer look, "they saw that the cereal contained white powder, and the flakes were coated with a grayish substance."

"The men and women at the Port of Cincinnati are committed to stopping the flow of dangerous drugs," Cincinnati Port Director Richard Gillespie stated, "and they continue to use their training, intuition, and strategic skills to prevent these kinds of illegitimate shipments from reaching the public."

The CBP added that, on average, 3,677 pounds of drugs were seized at ports of entry across the United States every single day over the last fiscal year—and that these illegal substances had been hidden in "anything imaginable." But let's be honest: Making cocaine-covered frosted flakes didn't require that much imagination.

That said, these flakes are far from the only oddly on-the-nose cocaine smuggling attempt that authorities have busted. Last year, Italian police found cocaine hidden inside of individual coffee beans, which, if gone unnoticed, could have made for an extra-strong cup of joe. And in 2016, French authorities discovered $55 million worth of cocaine at a Coca-Cola plant—something that hadn't been an ingredient in the soda in quite some time.