316,000 Bongs Land Someone on Customs' Naughty List

O Tannenbong: Customs officials find bongs in 860 boxes

By JONATHAN LLOYD

Updated 2:39 PM PST, Thu, Nov 19, 2009

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Custom officials unwrapped a surprise Tuesday at the Port of LA/Long Beach -- 316,000 glass bongs disguised as Christmas ornaments.

The shipment's value was estimated at more than $2.6 million. The fake ornaments were hidden inside 860 boxes that arrived from China in a shipping container.

Agents said the items were decorated like Christmas ornaments. Before you get any ideas, consider these holiday gift options.

Customs spokeswoman Cristina Gamez says the importer remains under investigation and there have been no arrests.

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First Published: Nov 19, 2009 1:42 PM PST

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OLDEST | RECENT

{"totSize":7,"payload_type":"json","status":"1","results":[{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":18273569,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Nov 2009 07:55:37 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"HarloweThrombey","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1280431","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"So customs found 316,000 bongs? Oh, we're SO safe from the danger now. Now the parents and kids won't die. It's a good job customs is spending time on 316,000 bongs... we wouldn't want them wasting any time on finding weapons or silly things like that."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":12554556,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Nov 2009 11:58:05 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"phillydrifter","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1280737","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Good call, Harlow. It's not a war on (some) drugs anyway, it's a war on minorities, to replace outlawed slave labor with prison labor. Read tinyurl.com/1mn : "Well, there it was, you didn't have to look another foot as you went from state to state right on the floor of the state legislature. And so what was the genesis for the early state marijuana laws in the Rocky Mountain and southwestern areas of this country? It wasn't hostility to the drug, it was hostility to the newly arrived Mexican community that used it.""},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":18278907,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Nov 2009 14:39:29 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"allenallen","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1281564","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Our tax dollars at work. :-( Wow, that's an important use of law enforcement. Makes me feel almost as safe as when (during the post 911 terrorists scare) they caught that criminal mastermind Tommy Chong and we paid for his prison stay... yeah... mades me feel safer. Good work law enforcement! :-( "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Nov 2009 22:12:29 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1285657","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"OK, I'm not a user of recreational drugs so forgive my ignorance. But it's not illegal to own a bong, is it? It's the drug that's illegal, not the item used to smoke it.. right? If so, then why is this a story? Other than for shock value? They could have intercepted a shipment of thong panties marked "contraceptives" and it would have generated the same level of comic reaction."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":18273569,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"20 Nov 2009 22:59:16 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"HarloweThrombey","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1285913","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"How come in the "Locals are.." section at the top right, regarding this article it says 43% Laughing. What's so funny, you giggling dimwits? There's nothing funny about the Drug War. You outta be ashamed of yourselves, you 43% (or whatever the number now currently is). Stupid idiots, you probably don't even vote, or if you do... you vote the way your stupid dad trained you to. Idiots. "},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":7918844,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"21 Nov 2009 12:41:20 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"anonymous_user","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1287746","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"I have seen those same bongs at Venice Beach in stores and being sold. So what is the big deal? I knew the bongs came from somewhere, China, India, Indonesia, etc. What is all the fuss about? Bongs do not cause crimes, people do."},{"anonName":null,"pathToMedia":"390259_70544292","adminTags":null,"views":1179,"createdBy":18309494,"createdByPathToPhoto":"116995/icons/defaultMember_116995_portrait.jpg","assocMediaId":null,"mediaName":"316,000 Holiday Bongs Seized at Port","parentThreadId":null,"mediaId":2792344,"tags":null,"anonSiteUrl":null,"assocMediaType":null,"createdAt":"22 Nov 2009 07:28:15 GMT","anonEmail":null,"isVisible":true,"approved":true,"numComments":7,"reviewed":true,"createdByUsername":"Cgoodwin","pathToPreview":"","mediaType":"EXTERNALMEDIA","commentId":"1290782","subject":"","averageRating":0,"body":"Nothing funny about this. The find this time was just "glass pipes" (drug paraphernalia) . Next time it can be the drugs that go with the pipes that get through and out in the streets. Home Land Securities finest at work ! Good job guys !"}],"error":"","totPages":1}

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