U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in the Texan border town of Pharr have made their second carrot-related drug bust in the space of two months.

On Jan. 10, a trailer of fresh Mexican carrots was intercepted at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge cargo facility, holding 2,493 pounds of alleged marijuana concealed in the shipment.

The CBP estimates the 2,817 carrot-shaped packages of the alleged drugs would have had a street value of US$499,000. This compares to the US$1.78 million street value of a similar interception on Nov. 30.

"Once again, drug smuggling organizations have demonstrated their creativity in attempting to smuggle large quantities of narcotics across the U.S./Mexico border," Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. said in a release.

"Our officers are always ready to meet those challenges and remain vigilant towards any type of illicit activities."

The alleged marijuana was detected in a secondary inspection on the enforcement dock with assistance from a canine team.

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