A North Carolina holiday drug bust led to a seven-year prison sentence for a man caught with more than 80 pounds of narcotics disguised as Christmas presents during a traffic stop in Oklahoma City. The case has drawn attention for the elaborate method used to hide the drugs and the timing of the attempted transport.
John Calvin Moore, 58, was stopped for speeding on December 22, 2023—just three days before Christmas. An Oklahoma City police officer noticed gift-wrapped packages in Moore’s trunk. Moore claimed they were for his girlfriend’s children. However, a closer inspection revealed something far more sinister: 42 pounds of methamphetamine and 38 pounds of cocaine packed into the boxes. The drugs were estimated to be worth more than $350,000 on the street.
Prosecutors emphasized the potential danger posed by such a large shipment. “Had those narcotics reached their destination, they would have endangered the lives of every member of the community,” they stated in court documents. Moore was also found in possession of a .45 caliber pistol, which he was not legally allowed to carry due to a prior felony conviction.
During the traffic stop, the officer became suspicious of Moore’s story. He told the officer he was driving from California to North Carolina in a rental vehicle and said he was feeling unwell. But the rental agreement showed the car was due back in California the next day. Further inconsistencies in his travel timeline raised red flags.
Moore first claimed he left California on a Friday, then changed his answer to Thursday. He also told the officer his girlfriend and her children had flown home separately because he was sick and they didn’t want to travel with him.
The discrepancies prompted the officer to request a K-9 search. The drug-sniffing dog alerted to the presence of narcotics, and officers uncovered heat-sealed packages hidden inside the festive wrappings. The firearm was located on the floor of the front passenger seat.
Federal prosecutors took over the case, asserting that Moore had crossed state lines with a firearm and was acting as a courier. “Based on the sheer quantity of narcotics and the elaborate and deceptive packaging, Mr. Moore appears to have been couriering narcotics on behalf of a sophisticated drug distributor,” they said.
Moore pleaded guilty in September 2024 to charges of drug possession with intent to distribute and unlawful firearm possession.
The case highlights the increasingly creative methods traffickers use to smuggle drugs—especially during the holiday season. Christmas gifts are just one form of concealment.
In other recent incidents, Colombian police discovered cocaine under a man’s toupee at Rafael Núñez International Airport. The man, bound for Amsterdam, had more than 220 grams of the drug hidden beneath the wig.
In North Carolina, authorities uncovered 148 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside stone landscaping pavers. Officers detected the drugs with K-9 assistance after following up on a prior arrest. Each of the 84 pavers contained about 800 grams of meth.
And in California, U.S. Customs officers intercepted a two-ton shipment of meth disguised as watermelons. A 29-year-old man attempting to cross from Mexico was flagged for secondary inspection, which revealed the massive stash.
As this case and others illustrate, drug traffickers continue to innovate in their concealment strategies. But law enforcement agencies remain vigilant—especially during peak travel periods like the holidays—ensuring that even the most festive packaging can’t hide the truth for long.
4 April 2025
