New Mexico is one of the 30 states warning of seeds coming from China

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico is one of 30 states where people have received a package of mysterious seeds in the mail from China. Now, the New Mexico Agriculture Department has issued a warning about the seeds.

“As of right now we’ve had roughly 30 reports come in, we’re still calling some folks back,” said Katie Laney with the New Mexico Agriculture Department.

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture said over the last month they have received reports from all over the state. Some of the seeds have been mailed in white packages displaying Chinese lettering and the words “China Post.”

Others such as those mailed to people in Ohio have been sent in yellow envelopes. None of these packages have been ordered.

“A lot of the cases that appear that the seeds were unconsolidated, so they hadn’t made a request for the seeds,” said Laney. Laney said the U. S. Agriculture Department is working with U.S. Customs to investigate.

“Their concerns are very similar to our concerns in that they don’t know what they have gotten, they are apprehensive to plant a seed that has no indication as to what it is, cause these, so far what we have seen as they arrive in undisclosed packaging sometimes labeled as jewelry or electronic components,” said Laney.

The New Mexico Agriculture Department are asking people not to plant them and anyone who gets a package to notify the department. Officials don’t know if the seeds carry any disease or bring an invasive species into New Mexico.

“Them being unknown seeds we’re, of course, concerned with the introduction of a noxious weed or pest and, of course, concerned for plant diseases new and unknown plant diseases that these seeds may harbor and we don’t know that without doing further investigation,” Laney said.

The USDA said this might be a brushing scam, where people receive unsolicited items from a seller who then posts false customer reviews to boost sales but with the strange year we’ve had so far, there are a lot of theories out there. To report any mysterious package or seeds contact the Agriculture Department by email at nmagsec@nmda.nmsu.edu or by calling 575-646-3007.