Off-Topic: The Pickled Pepper Packers Packing Pot

On July 31st 1971 the Daily Mirror printed an article about a pair of pickled pepper packers who were packing pot instead of packing pickled peppers. I consider it to be a peak of journalistic excellence that can never be reached again.

This is  a photocopy of the newspaper article, followed by a transcript for anyone who wants to copy it.

The Pickled Pepper Pot Pushers are Popped into Prison.

Two Mexican pickled pepper packers have been popped into prison.

They were found packing pot instead of pickled peppers.

Police picked up pickled pepper packers Jesus Flores and Alfonso Soto in Mexico City. The impertinent packers should have been popping pickled peppers into cans at a local pickle packing plant.

But the pair pondered that packing pickled peppers was a puerile pastime which pulled in paltry pay packets full of pesos.

So they proceeded to pack pot in place of pickles.

When cans containing marijuana turned up in California and New York, puzzled police pursued a probe of the pot pushers who were packing pot instead of peppers.

Hot on the trail of the pickled pepper packers, they placed policemen in the pepper plant to pinpoint palmprints on packets prepared by the pot pushers.

The plan was perfect.

Now the Peter Piper pair are patiently pursuing prison programmes while police ponder the possible penalties for pushing pot instead of packing pickled peppers.