Huge opium haul found in cat figurines

NEW YORK, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. customs agents say they found pure opium worth more than $9 million hidden in cat statues at New York's Kennedy airport.

The 205-pound shipment from Thailand was caught Jan. 21, Customs and Border Protection officials told the New York Daily News.

The shipment was heading for an address in the New York area but no one was arrested.

The life-size, black cats were listed on the cargo manifest as "plastic samples," but X-rays revealed plastic-wrapped packages inside, said Robert Perez, head of customs field operations in New York.

Field tests on the drugs were inconclusive but a lab analysis identified the opium, he said.