Cocaine mistakenly sent to UN headquarters - Page 1

Police and UN officials today described how two fake UN bags containing the drugs - which experts said had a street value of about $2 million - set off a security alert when they were delivered, apparently by accident, to the global body's headquarters.

The bags, which had the UN symbol printed on them, were shipped from Mexico through the DHL delivery company's centre in Cincinnati, Ohio, Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne of the New York Police Department said.

But the bags had no address on them, nor any return to sender details.

"It is my understanding that because there was no addressee, the DHL just thought well that's the UN symbol so we should ship it on to UN headquarters and let them figure out who it was supposed to go to," Browne said.