Teddy bears found stuffed with $33 million in heroin
Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Fraud
The teddy bears may have looked cuddly and sweet, but what cops found stuffed inside was a bitter pill to swallow. Drug Enforcement Administration officials busted a crew of drug dealers who were smuggling heroin using the popular Build-A-Bear toys. The drug bust at an apartment in the Bronx in New York City turned up a bunch of the toys stuffed with about 33 pounds of heroin. The drugs, marked with names like Swine Flu, Crime 360 and Barack Obama, were valued at about $33 million.
Twelve people were arrested after a three-month investigation. The drug dealers had stuffed square-inch dime bags of heroin in the bears so they could be transported without being detected. Neighbors who lived in the building expressed surprise that the apartment was being used for drugs.
It doesn't appear that any Build-A-Bear stores were involved in the drug trafficking, but being associated with such a story must be a public relations nightmare for the company.
A spokeswoman for the company told CNBC, "Although our name was included in the story, this is clearly not about our product or our stores."
Part of the fun of going to a Build-A-Bear store is the whole process of picking out a new furry friend, placing a little red heart inside, and filling it with stuffing. Using children's toys to smuggle drugs is despicable and shows that drug dealers will do just about anything to turn a profit.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
7-06-2009 @ 8:25PM
jerry said...
Weve got thousands of troops in countries that are major suppliers of heroin and our country is still being over run with drugs. It is obvious our govt. cant or wont stop the illegal drug trade, its big business. Time to legalize.
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7-06-2009 @ 2:20PM
Anonymous said...
The funniest part of this article was reading how the "despicable" drug dealers would do anything to turn a profit, and then scrolling down a bit to find advertisements for tooth whitening and get rich quick schemes.
I do enjoy the irony of modern society. It would be a slightly better world if we'd all admit that anyone will do anything to turn a profit, not just the "evil" drug dealers and various other "unwholesome" members of society.
Feel free to say I'm a drug loving communist or something else inaccurate, I'm quite secure in my beliefs not to be bothered. Toodles.
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7-07-2009 @ 9:52AM
jim said...
Haha, you are so right. At least the drug dealers are honest about what they are selling and why they are in business. There is reassurance in clarity. Have a great day!
7-07-2009 @ 11:37PM
gd said...
If someone you love becomes addicted to smack you will drop the quotes from evil in reference to drug dealers for the evil might well kill your loved one. Secure with that? toodles
7-06-2009 @ 2:37PM
madkisser said...
On the second paragraph "Twelve people were arrested after a three-month invesigation". Writer please, check your spelling for crying out loud.
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7-06-2009 @ 3:50PM
Bill said...
LOL, clean your glasses. The article spells the word correctly.
7-06-2009 @ 7:55PM
Suzanne said...
Most other posters may be like me. I post in between other things I'm doing and don't have the time to spell check.
Loosin' up. Often we've transposed letters, mispelled or made other typoes......... and that some people are losing sleep over it is silly.
The intent is more important then a minor mitake or two.
Chill out!
7-07-2009 @ 11:42PM
gd said...
pintin oot udders spallin airrors is the lest refooge of scoundrals and cowerds
7-06-2009 @ 2:42PM
al said...
Its time to take the profit out of drugs, the only answer is to make drugs legal. The problem is, like many other things in this country, we put the drug industrial complex out of business. Billions of dollars could be saved every year if we concentrated on rehabilition, education and jobs.
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7-06-2009 @ 2:46PM
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7-06-2009 @ 2:52PM
Laura Olach said...
That is not a build-a-bear.. its a vermont teddy bear. I have one. Please someone research better.
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7-06-2009 @ 3:23PM
Cheryl said...
I was thinking the same thing with the picture. That is a vermont teddy bear not a build a bear! that is sad!
7-06-2009 @ 2:54PM
Shirl said...
these people make me sick!!!
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7-06-2009 @ 3:09PM
M. Paduch said...
If I were associated with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Ms. Huff, you'd be getting a telephone call from our law firm for mis-using the image of one of our signature bears - not that of a Build-A-Bear - and would be strongly urged to remove it. Immediately.
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7-06-2009 @ 3:30PM
chris said...
1 word for you. madoff!
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7-06-2009 @ 3:50PM
tellinitlikeitis said...
@Anonymous@2;20p
Excellent comment.
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7-06-2009 @ 4:01PM
Doug said...
BTW the bear shown in this article is not a Build-a-Bear bear, It is a Vermont Teddy Bear. I notified the company that their image was being liabeled by the association with the article. The author should have done better research.
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7-06-2009 @ 4:10PM
walter grinspan said...
Really interesting to see how people react to a story, and how they do the research that the reporters should have done...strange that a lot of this stuff is written though computers and they never use "spell check"...the reporters of today weren't taught English, Grammar, nor spelling, but they can work at their jobs because they've replaced the pros because they work cheaper. Just a little footnote...was looking at a pack of cigarettes some woman I know who can't kick the habit, and the name of the cigaratte was close to Marlboro, and when I read the label it said "Made in India"...just an aside, but I wonder how the mondern day reporter would have covered that story???
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7-06-2009 @ 4:34PM
Edric said...
WTFFF i made a joke a week ago about how there is cocaine found in build-a-bears. Now this???
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7-07-2009 @ 10:05PM
FRED said...
Isn't it strange that only 12 persons were caught. You would think that after a month the source would be found. Someone had to be supplying the drugs. Why didn't all drug agencies both local and fed get together as a unit and trace this to all concerned and involved. It looks like everyone is still doing there own thing.
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