New Jersey Uber Eats driver finds marijuana in burrito meal

LINDENWOLD, N.J. (WPVI) -- For one Uber Eats driver, it started with a pickup in Lindenwold, New Jersey on Friday night.

"She was in the middle of an Uber Eats delivery with what she believed was a burrito meal," said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.

The package appeared to contain a foil-wrapped burrito, a box of soup mix, and a bottle of water.

But police say as she was driving, she started to suspect this was no ordinary burrito, as an unmistakable odor was coming from the bag.

"She believed something didn't smell right with her delivery package. She thought it smelled like marijuana," said Gurcsik.

She pulled over in Washington Township along Fries Mill Road and called the police.

"He inspected the package curbside and determined that it was not a burrito meal," said Gurcsik. "There was no meat, or lettuce or beans or rice. It was actually an ounce of marijuana."

The bogus burrito was taken into evidence and police are now investigating where the drugs came from.

Because police say the food didn't come from a restaurant, there's a good chance the suspects were using the option to deliver a package from point A to point B.

According to Uber's website, things like medication, alcohol and illegal substances are not allowed.

The chief says the driver did exactly the right thing by calling police, and it serves as a good reminder when using services like this.

"To anybody who utilizes Uber Eats or Uber as a way of transportation you always have to be cautious, you always have to be safe and keep that in the back of your mind," said Gurcsik.

No charges have been filed in this case.

An Uber spokesperson called this incident "deeply disturbing," and encouraged drivers to contact local authorities if they suspect anything suspicious.

Washington Township police say over the summer they had a similar case where an Uber driver was asked to deliver fraudulent gift cards.