
Texas police have their hands full looking for the culprit who hid small amounts of marijuana in Easter eggs around various public areas in Texas. The man behind the stunt, now identified as 23-year-old Avante Nicholson, took it upon himself to hide the marijuana-filled plastic eggs in different spots across the city, effectively turning the act into an illegal scavenger hunt. He scattered the eggs in places where unsuspecting people might find them, including a young girl who discovered one while enjoying her morning at the park with her grandfather.
After successfully hiding the eggs, Nicholson took to social media to broadcast his actions. He posted cryptic hints and photos, essentially giving out clues to the locations where he had stashed the drug-filled eggs. His posts drew curious followers’ attention, and the scavenger hunt took off. According to police, he targeted three public parks—Morris Frank, Winston, and Grace Dunn Richardson—and an area behind a Motel 6.
The situation escalated quickly when a concerned individual reported the incident to local authorities. That same day, officers from the Lufkin Police Department began their search for the hidden eggs. It didn’t take them long to locate the marijuana-filled surprises. By early afternoon, they had recovered eggs from the three parks and behind the motel. In total, Nicholson is believed to have distributed roughly a quarter ounce of marijuana across these locations in Lufkin, a city located about two hours north of Houston.
One of the photos Nicholson posted online showed five eggs laid out on his car seat. Initially, officers believed he hadn’t yet hidden the fifth egg—but they were proven wrong. The following day, a man and his young granddaughter came across the elusive fifth egg and brought it directly to the police station. Fortunately, no harm came to the child, but the incident sparked serious concern.
As authorities looked deeper into Nicholson’s online presence, they found several references on his Facebook page suggesting he was involved in drug sales. He had even posted a message stating that anyone who had “shopped” with him the day he hid the eggs would receive special clues to help them locate them.
“Incidents like this are a reminder of why we take all information called into our offices seriously,” Lufkin Police Chief David Thomas said in a statement. “On the surface, it seems implausible that someone would give away a drug, but the follow-up proves that sometimes even the most unlikely things do happen. The safety of our community is at the forefront of everything we do. And in cases such as this, when it endangers children, we are even more vigilant.”
Nicholson has a prior record including several drug and weapons offenses, such as unlawful carrying of a weapon, fraud, engaging in organized criminal activity, and possession of two to four ounces of marijuana. As a result of this latest incident, Lufkin Police have issued four felony warrants for his arrest—three for delivery of marijuana in a drug-free zone and one for a state jail felony. Recreational cannabis remains illegal in Texas, which also enforces one of the strictest medical marijuana laws in the country.