Outbound Seizures From U.S. Airports Rises
Between so many states in the U.S. having a legal medical or adult-use market, and the number of “hemp” operations that popped up out of nowhere over the last few years, one has to ask: where is all this flower and oil going?
A few people figured out early on that if you overproduce in a licensed state, you can just call it hemp and move it across state lines. But does that also work internationally?
What we do have is a growing trail of CBP case announcements and local arrest stories showing this is happening repeatedly, especially on UK- and Europe-bound routes.
Do-Dirt
CBP and local police/airport cases show ongoing outbound seizures from U.S. airports and export facilities, including passenger luggage and cargo/parcels headed to the UK and Europe.
Recent examples include:
Dulles (2025): UK/England-bound passenger case with a large luggage load and an arrest/charge.
Miami (Dec. 2025): A woman was arrested before a London flight after outbound inspection found 65+ pounds in luggage.
Philadelphia area (2024–2026): Repeated export-parcel seizures to the UK, including 170 lbs, 179 lbs across 52 parcels, and later a 481-lb UK-bound shipment.
Baltimore (2025): 200+ lbs in air cargo bound for Belgium, with CBP describing a broader trend of exports to higher-price overseas markets.
Bigger implication in the U.S.
The pattern looks less like random tourists and more like price-arbitrage trafficking:
oversupplied U.S. markets,
higher resale value in parts of Europe/UK,
and a mix of passenger luggage + parcel/export cargo methods.
CBP messaging in the Baltimore case explicitly points to transnational groups exploiting those margins.
Also, even with legalization in many states, international export is still federal territory, so these cases can escalate fast.
Street prices on the UK illicit market
Flower (herbal) per gram
Mid-range typical price: £8–£12 per gram (about $10–$15 USD) for average quality. Premium flower in major cities (especially London) can push £15–£20+ (about $19–$25+ USD) per gram.
Hash (resin) per gram
Typical UK black-market hash ranges from roughly £8–£12 per gram (about $10–$15 USD), with some lower-end or softer resin closer to the bottom of that range. Harder traditional styles sometimes fall in the £3–£6 per gram range (about $4–$7 USD) for lower quality, though higher-end resin can go above that depending on source and city.
Notes on price variability
Prices vary by region, quality, and quantity bought (bulk deals can lower per-gram cost).
London and other large cities often trade at the higher end of these ranges.
What these prices mean in context
A typical gram of flower at $10–$15 in the UK illicit market is generally more expensive than many legal U.S. markets, where supply is abundant and legal risk is lower.
Hash prices in the UK can be competitive with flower per gram, depending on quality and local availability.
Street pricing generally reflects risk compensation — traffickers and dealers price based on legal penalties and enforcement intensity in the UK, where adult-use remains prohibited.
The hard part of the argument
The argument that a plant is legal in some places but not others is valid. The patchwork is ridiculous. But that does not excuse people from choosing to take a risk. You don’t get caught and then say, “What about everyone else?” That’s never been how it works.
At a certain point, we do need to care about where this stuff came from, what’s in it, and where it’s going. We didn’t ask those questions 20 years ago because we didn’t really have the option — you got what you got. Now consumers are closer than ever to real producers. We don’t have to smoke mystery meat anymore.
But where does that leave people who are currently locked up for flower-related crimes?
