More than 35 pounds (15 kg) of cocaine was sent in a bag that turned up at the UN headquarters in New York, CNN reported.

The narcotics were found Jan 16 inside hollowed-out books shipped from Mexico City in a bag that looked like a diplomatic pouch, New York police spokesman Paul Browne said.

"The actual pouch is blue and has a UN symbol, a lock and seal, and words like 'Diplomatic Mail'. This bag was white instead of blue and had no locked seal and no wording of any kind," he said.

The bag was being screened at the UN postal receiving centre when the cocaine was discovered.

It, however, lacked a destination address and was without a return address, he said.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said two suspicious mail bags were intercepted.

Cocaine powder retails for $28 per gram in New York, according to department of justice estimates.