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Indiana woman receives package of mysterious seeds

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Posted at 9:13 PM, Jul 29, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-29 21:13:08-04

CLOVERDALE — Strange packets in the mail. There's a warning across the nation about mystery shipments of seeds from China.

Experts are advising people not to plant them.

"Oh my gosh, I received some of those packets, let me see who I need to call," Tiffney Craig said. "Indiana wasn't on the list."

Craig thought nothing of it when an Amazon order she canceled still showed up last month.

"I have received two different packages of seeds," Craig said.

RELATED COVERAGE | 'Don't plant!' State warns Hoosiers receiving mysterious seeds in the mail

Though she wasn't expecting the package, she wrote it off as a mix-up and planned to plant the seeds until she logged onto social media on Tuesday.

"I saw it on Facebook, seeds from China. I received seeds from China," Craig said. "What do I do with these? People told me to call Purdue."

Turns out she's not alone. Mysterious packages have been popping up all over the U.S. In some cases people didn't even request them.

"It says onion stud earring and the other package says shallot stud earring," Craig said. "Why were they labeled earrings? That's odd."

Craig said the packaging itself was misleading and describes what she found inside.

"They look like they might be cantaloupe seeds or pumpkin — not what I thought I ordered," Craig said.

The USDA and agriculture experts want the seeds turned in for testing because they believe it's an invasive plant. They said anyone who gets a package like this with seeds inside shouldn't just plant them.