Officials: If You Receive Mysterious Seed Packets By Mail Do Not Open

(CBS DETROIT) - Have you recently received seed packets by mail? State and federal agriculture officials are warning residents if you receive mysterious packets of various seeds in the mail, do not open them.

According to the Detroit Free Press, a Clinton Township family received three packets, apparently from China, that they didn't order. Two of the envelopes were marked as containing necklaces.

Officials say the packets should not be opened and could pose an invasive species or plant disease threat.

The Clinton Township family says each envelope contained a different type of seed with no other information, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The New York Times reported Sunday Washington state, Louisiana, Kansas, Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio agricultural departments have issued statements on people in their states receiving unsolicited Chinese seed packets like the family in Clinton Township.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture posted to their Facebook page Friday stating this is known as agricultural smuggling.

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Spokeswoman Jennifer Holton says the department is aware of the ongoing situation "as a national issue," according to the Detroit Free Press.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service says anyone who has received such packets should hold onto the unopened seeds and envelopes, immediately contact their state plant regulatory official, or the APHIS state plant health director in their respective state by contacting MDARD at 800-292-3939 or via email at MDA-Info@michigan.gov.

USDA's State Plant Health Director for Michigan, Craig Kellogg, can be reached at 734-942-9005 or by email at Craig.Kellogg@usda.gov.

© 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.