(Wong Mei Teng)

Breck man arrested for Christmas-wrapped pot mailed from Colo. to N.Y.

Talk about a not-so-secret Santa.

Somebody tried mailing more than 16 pounds of Colorado marijuana to a hotel room outside of Albany, N.Y., earlier this week — but a certain skunky scent gave away the clandestine, gift-wrapped package to postal inspectors and police.

From the Albany Times Union:

Something about the smell coming from several small, gift-wrapped presents and addressed to the Desmond Hotel was a hint that these presents weren’t from St. Nick.

Turns out postal inspectors in Colonie, Albany’s biggest suburb, notified police on Dec. 15 of some curious-smelling gift-wrapped packages being delivered to David B. Malchow, staying at the Desmond Hotel.


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After a drug-sniffing dog corroborated the inspectors’ theory that marijuana was inside the packages, police obtained a search warrant, opened the package and found 16 pounds 11.55 ounces of pot “divided into several smaller packages wrapped as Christmas presents,” according to the Times Union’s report.

Police estimated the confiscated cannabis was worth between $64,000 and $68,000.

Malchow, 28, lives in Colorado resort town Breckenridge and had $4,200 on him in cash when he was arrested; He was charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana, a felony. He’s in Albany County jail without bail until his court appearance Dec. 17.