Pubdate: Sat, 15 Nov 2003
Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS)
Copyright: 2003 The Clarion-Ledger
Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/about/letters.html
Website: http://www.clarionledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805
Note: From staff and wire reports / Staff writer Cathy Hayden contributed 
to this report

COCAINE FOUND IN SCHOOL BOXES

Discovery Second In Week Involving Miss. School

Cocaine was found packed into boxes carrying food at a South Mississippi 
school cafeteria for the second time in a week.

Fifteen pounds of cocaine were found at East Central Upper Elementary on 
Thursday, a week after the same discovery was made at an elementary school 
in Ellisville.

Just like in Ellisville, the drugs in the Hurley school were found in a box 
of frozen ground beef.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recalled all of the packages from H 
and H Meat Packing in Mercedes, Texas.

No arrests have been made in either case, which is also being investigated 
by the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Gary May, director of child nutrition in the state Department of Education, 
said no one connected with a school or the Hattiesburg-based school food 
distribution center, Merchants Co., is suspected of being involved.

"There was no knowledge by Merchants or anyone at a school. There was no 
way for them to know which case they'd get," he said.

He said investigators believe the cocaine was supposed to have been removed 
from the truck coming from Texas before it got to Merchants' cold storage 
facility in Jackson.

All schools that might have received shipments of frozen ground beef 
through Merchants Co. have been told to put aside the shipment for pickup 
and not to open it.

"All of the product is on hold and USDA has several inspectors coming in to 
search it," May said.

The drugs found in the shipment at Jackson County's East Central Upper 
Elementary were discovered when the box was set aside and it came open, May 
said.

"Children were never in any harm," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman