An Austrian couple anxiously awaiting a shipment of new dresses they bought online ended up receiving far more than they bargained for. While several dresses were found placed inside one of the packages they received, a separate box contained 25,000 ecstasy pills.
Austrian police determined the pills were intended for an unknown recipient in Scotland. Officials estimate the large packages of drugs were worth just over $205,000.
As first reported by CNN, the couple had ordered several dresses from an online retailer in The Netherlands. When the wife opened what she thought was her package, she found several hefty plastic bags filled with hundreds of violet-colored triangle-shaped tabs.
At first, according to a press release issued by the Upper Austrian Police, the woman mistook the pills for “decorative stones.” In reality, she was looking at just over $205,000 worth of drugs intended for an unknown recipient in Scotland. Eventually, the couple realized the package wasn’t for them and mailed it back to their local post office.
When police investigated the package they were equally shocked by its contents. Upper Austrian Police investigators found references in the packaging to a Scottish recipient and contacted officials in Scotland who took over the investigation.
According to CNN both Police Scotland and the UK's National Crime Agency are working together to determine the drug's true intended recipient and how they ended up in Austria.
Whoever bought the drugs, it's possible they did so online. Internet-based drug sales have tripled since 2013 and are responsible for about $13 million in revenue a month.
Read more: