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In a joint operation with U.S. Customs officers and Postal Inspectors, Berkeley Police raided an apartment at 1710 Ward St. Thursday afternoon, seizing five and a half pounds of hashish and nearly $8,000 in cash, according to Berkeley Police Narcotics Detective Jack Friedman. 

Police estimated the street value of the drug at $500,000. 

Customs officers discovered the concentrated marijuana plant resins stashed inside toffee candy packaging shipped to Berkeley from an address in the Netherlands, then alerted Postal Inspectors and Berkeley Police. 

A postal carrier then delivered the shipment to the apartment, and Berkeley Special Enforcement Unit officers armed with a search warrant entered soon afterwards, seizing the cash and drugs. 

Two residents of the apartment were arrested and booked into City Jail on multiple charges of importation and possession of controlled substances and conspiracy. 

The drugs were packaged in shrink-wrap and then hidden inside commercial toffee wrappers. 

“If not for the hard work and diligence of the U.S. Customs Service and Postal Service Investigators, this would not have been possible,” said Detective Friedman.