Up to 75 pounds of marijuana was discovered inside a FedEx package in Mobile Wednesday.
FedEx employees at the Trippel road site called police officers when they smelled marijuana coming from inside the package. The package was turned over to narcotics, according to police. There are currently no suspects.
Since some U.S. states made marijuana legal, courier companies have had to adapt their policies to ensure that customers were not shipping from legal states to illegal states. FedEx changed its policy earlier this year that placed marijuana on the list of prohibited items. In Alabama, possession of the psychoactive element of marijuana can result in a misdemeanor for first-time possession or a felony if the person is caught again, or is a courier or drug dealer.
Earlier this year, a state bill aimed at reducing sentences for those caught with marijuana failed in congress. The proposal would have seen a person in possession of one ounce or less given a violation — considered less serious than a misdemeanor — and would be punishable only by a fine not to exceed $250. That penalty would have applied to both a first and a second offense. A third offense would be a violation punishable by a fine of up to $500.
In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service confiscated around 34,000 pounds of the drug.
