Table Flagged by Drug Sniffing Police Dogs
What would you do if a table you had dedicated a lot of time and effort to crafting for a custom order, was held up on its way to New York City? Not because of a misprint on a shipping label, or the parcel itself having sustained damage, but because you were being accused of potential drug smuggling. Specially: chalking a table’s shipping crate full of marijuana.
Yeah…this really happened.
Trouble in (shipping) Paradise
In 2021, after completing a custom ordered standing desk for a client in New York City, the desk was wrapped with protective materials, carefully inserted into a tailored wooden crate, and professionally prepped for domestic shipping. After wrapping up any project, especially one of this magnitude, feelings of satisfaction, accomplishment, and relief are often common. Feelings that are not common in this situation may include: panic, confusion, worry surrounding the table’s safety, and fear of criminal charges. However, when you receive a call from the Portland Police Department, who are tasked with monitoring shipments and vehemently intercepting any attempted criminal activity; it might be natural to freak out.
The Goal for this Project
This situation was definitely a unique one, and the project itself was no exception. Typically when a client reaches out, they’re looking for a coffee table, an accent table, or a dining set. In this case, the client was looking for something a little different: a desk he could work at while standing. Being a fairly tall individual, this meant a much higher table than normal, hence the large shipping crate.
Process
Starting with an old slab of wood, purchased years prior for roughly $200, the wood’s edges were rounded, its bark peeled away, before it was sealed with Liquid Glass epoxy, and laid out within the epoxy pouring mold. Next, the epoxy was poured and after it had set the table top was taken to Creative Wood to have it planed and sanded.
Satisfying Top to Base Fitting
One of the most satisfying things that can happen for any craftsperson is when something goes smoothly, or better yet: perfectly. During this project, the process of fitting the table top with its metal base was very rewarding thanks to the use of proper router bits. To learn more about cheap router bits versus good ones, the difference both make, and to see the result watch here.
An Air of Mistake
When examining the table and doing a few touch-ups, an unfortunate discovery was made on its top side. An air pocket had formed within a section of epoxy, creating a pesky hollow space amongst solid table. Pouring epoxy tables upside down is unadvisable for this exact reason, as it often causes small pockets of air to form. To fix this, the epoxy had to be chiselled out and its debris had to be removed, before it was refilled with fast drying epoxy.
Reveal
After a few more touch-ups, a robust amount of sanding, another air pocket repair, and multiple finishing sessions on both the top and bottom of the desk (to learn more about table finishing: click the link here), it was attached to its base and was finally complete.
A call from Portland Police Department
Not long after submitting the standing desk for shipment from Portland, OR to New York City, NY the phone rang. After a short conversation with the Portland Police Department, the worry that something bad might happen to this table began to sink-in. Once a drug-sniffing dog keys-in on a crate, identifying it as a potential attempt at drug-smuggling, it becomes very difficult for your package to ship. The problem now was that the crate needed to be searched, and in the name of promptness it was likely that anyone opening that crate would not take the necessary precautions to ensure that its contents remained intact, let alone undamaged.
Telling the Police to get a Warrant
Distressed by the severity of this accusation, but more so by the possible impending damage to the delicate desk, the rational answer to give when asked by Police if they could search the crate was “no”. Now, giving a “no” in this situation doesn’t mean that they thank you for your time and decide not to search your package for illegal substances. Instead, it means you are basically telling the Police to get a warrant. Something that might feel unadvisable when attempting to maintain a friendly rapport with the cops. Luckily, thanks to the certain form of punctual wisdom that only a loved one, more specifically: a wife, can give - the appropriate course of action seemed to be taking a trip to their office to gently open the crate first-hand. Plus nothing demonstrates innocence quite like compliance and in-person cooperation, right?
Searching my own Shipping Crate for Drugs
The Portland Police Department was receptive to the idea, and upon arrival at their offices they were extremely cooperative and easy to work with. They even went as far as to explain why exactly crates like these often get flagged. Apparently the crate used to house this desk matched the exact dimensions of crates often used to ship marijuana from Oregon to New York; two states with drastically varied drug laws. The department’s confidence in their K-9’s ability to sniff out any contraband was very high. Luckily, after removing only a small portion of the crate, it was deemed safe for shipping and the table remained perfectly intact for the awaiting client. An extra step, yes, but ultimately all that mattered was that the table was in good shape.
It’s worth mentioning that although this situation presented some frustration, no bad feelings are harboured against the police department. The officers involved were simply carrying out their sworn duties, and did so in a professional and tactful manner. Though, we do wish they had let us film inside of their facilities (we tried).
More Info on this Table Build
If you’re interested in more of the specifics on how this desk was built, the tools used for this project, how to find and repair air pockets, which products to use for table sealing, and a lot more, head to the Blacktail Studio Youtube channel and watch this entire standing desk build right here.
