Mystery packages from China resurface in Texas with seeds, liquid

• Mysterious packages from China are showing up in Texas, with residents receiving unexpected items such as seeds. State officials are investigating the shipments.
• The seeds, identified by authorities, belong to the Indian lotus.
• The recent spate of packages echoes a 2020 incident when thousands of people across the U.S. received unsolicited seeds from China.

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Mysterious packages from China are showing up on doorsteps in Texas, with officials saying that residents are receiving items they didn’t order. The state’s agriculture commissioner said that instead of expected dog toys from the Chinese company Temu, one Texan received seeds instead.

Trend resurfaces across the state

This is not the first reported case, and authorities say it’s a trend resurfacing across Texas. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the Department of Agriculture is working to retrieve five suspicious packages that shouldn’t have made it past U.S. Customs. One of the packages also contained a liquid substance.

“Without the proper documentation and consent, the shipment did not meet the entry conditions for the United States. We need to close this loophole in our biosecurity protections.”

Sid Miller, Commissioner, Texas Department of Agriculture

Authorities uncover invasive plant seeds

State authorities identified the seeds as belonging to an invasive Asian plant. In one case, the seeds were accompanied by a liquid that helped the plant grow. The plant in question, the Indian lotus, is banned in Wisconsin. Officials said it could cause significant environmental and economic damage if introduced into native crops.

A similar incident hit nationwide in 2020

This situation mirrored one from 2020 when thousands of similar packages were shipped nationwide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 20,000 people received unsolicited seeds in the mail from China, prompting a federal investigation. In response to the incident, online retail giant Amazon suspended the sale of seeds originating outside the U.S. Officials concluded the shipments were part of a scam by Chinese companies attempting to boost sales through fake reviews.

Officials are now urging all Texas residents to exercise caution when opening packages with Chinese origins as the investigation continues.