Margy RochlinSo you think watermelon is just a delicious summer fruit best served cold and sliced in drippingly sweet wedges?
The watermelon fakes: seized marijuana bundles; Credit: Arizona Department of Public Safety
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The versatile watermelon also tastes great in smoothies, juices, agua fresca and salads. And, of course, when vodka or rum is introduced, you have a dangerously fun party treat. (Note: It's not as easy to make as it might seem at first. And seeded watermelons are better for this purpose than seedless.)
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But it appears that there's a new purpose for our green, stripey melon friend: drug mule!
Last week, just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, three highway patrolman searched a big rig during a routine traffic stop and uncovered 508 pounds of plastic-wrapped marijuana bundles in a trailer carrying a load of watermelons.
The aftermath? The Arizona Department of Public Safety rejoiced in their accidental bust while local reporters covering the event, including our colleagues at Phoenix New Times, celebrated with lines like this:
“DPS says the rig was hauling its load from Nogales, Arizona, where the driver picked up the melons — and, apparently, the dope — to Massachusetts.”
But here at food-obsessed Squid Ink, our favorite fun fact about the bust came from AP's coverage at the Tucson Citizen: “It was the second-largest marijuana seizure in Nogales. The largest was last June when officers found more than 6,000 pounds of pot hidden with a load of tomatoes.”
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