'Christmas ornaments' were bongs, pipes

The shipment of almost 860 boxes from China arrived about a month ago, addressed to a recipient in Los Angeles County, but was seized Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Cristina Gamez said agents found 316,000 bongs and pipes, worth an estimated $2.6 million.

"They're very colorful and big," Gamez said. "Some of them are like 2 feet tall."

The items are not going to wind up on, or under, anyone's tree. They're going to be destroyed, Gamez said.

Importing or exporting drug paraphernalia is illegal in the United States. The matter is under investigation and no arrests have been made, the newspaper said.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.