Imagine this: It’s Monday morning, and you just got to work at your local Ford dealer. A new shipment of Ford Fusions just got dropped off, so it’s on you to go out and inspect each one to make sure they are as they should be. The first few check out fine, then you go to check the spare tire of one and see that it’s wrapped up in trash bags and duct tape… “What the hell is that,” you think to yourself as you begin to remove the trash bag. It’s at this moment that you realize you’re not looking at a spare tire at all, but instead, a spare-tired sized, 30-pound brick of the finest Mexican swag. Sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn’t it? Well, it should, but that exact thing recently happened at a Ford dealership in Warren Ohio. And, that wasn’t the only car found to contain large amounts of brick weed. So far, Authorities have found a total of 15 Ford Fusions packed with the stuff in Ohio and Pennsylvania, to the tune of about 480 pounds.

We’ve seen manufacturers do some pretty interesting things to entice buyers, but free pot? That has to be a first. So far, what’s actually happening is still a pretty big mystery. All 15 cars that were found to be laced with Mexico’s finest were all manufactured at the Sonora plant in Mexico and came across the border in the same rail car, passing through Arizona on their way to Ohio. Authorities have yet to determine where the pot was infused into the shipping chain, but they do know that someone dropped the ball on the receiving end and is now out a cool million in product – ouch. Ford and CSX have both gone on record saying they’ll support the investigation. Ford said it has already “confirmed” that the smuggling ring didn’t originate in its facilities, but that’s a lot of pot, and it certainly had to come from somewhere.

Sound Familiar at All?

This whole story sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? Well, it should because it’s not the first time this has happened. Only months have gone by since the last set of Fusions and Lincoln MKZs were found to have the same style of “spare tires” in the trunk. Of course, last time, three had already made their way to an Enterprise rental car lot and the driveway of an 86-year-old man who had no idea he was rolling around with a felony in his trunk. But, that little piece of information also adds some fuel to the fire, too. Obviously, this is a pretty big smuggling ring – if two shipments have been fumbled and caught, just imagine how many have already made it through and onto the streets.

So, where is it all coming from?

Ford swears it’s not originating in its facility, but that does seem like the most likely place, doesn’t it? Maybe the guy in the shipping yard, or even the transport operator. It could be someone at CSX, as well. Either way, it’s someone who has enough time to remove the spare tires in at least 15 vehicles and replace them with big packages of pot. That’s not exactly a five-minute job, so somebody has enough time alone, or with their own little crew, to get the job done. That leads me to believe it’s an inside job somewhere because these people aren’t just hopping on the train mid-travel and swapping these wheels out. Something tells me that’s it’s happening before the even leave the shipping yard, or at the very least before they get moving on the tracks on their way to the U.S.

And, with that in mind, it’s probably safe to say that whoever was supposed to be on the receiving end is in big trouble. After all, that’s 480 pounds of pot, worth what authorities are saying is about $1 million. People certainly have gone missing for much less, and this isn’t the first time the ball has been dropped either. So, with that said, if you’ve recently purchased a Ford Fusion, it might not be a bad idea to check your spare tire – you just might find a nice surprise waiting for you.

What would you do? Would you keep it for yourself or call up the authorities? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

References

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Fusion.