This browser does not support the Video element.
More than 200 pounds of marijuana seized in airport drug busts
Drug smugglers are using ordinary domestic flights to sneak hundreds of pounds of bulk marijuana into Central Florida, according to police records obtained by FOX 35 News.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Drug smugglers are using ordinary domestic flights to sneak hundreds of pounds of bulk marijuana into Central Florida, according to police records obtained by FOX 35 News.
Undercover officers and drug-sniffing dogs with the Orlando Police Department intercepted the illegal stash during two recent busts at Orlando International Airport (MCO). Both flights came straight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which police call a major source city for illegal drugs. Investigators say the suspects used superglue, dryer sheets, and ripped-off luggage tags to try to trick police and bypass security.
The backstory:
According to retired U.S. Border Patrol Intelligence Agent Michael Cluck, drug organizations intentionally use domestic flights, mail carriers, and highway travel because they bypass international border checks.
"They can still exploit the border, get into the domestic areas, such as cities, such as places that are away from that border scrutiny," Cluck said. "Once they get there, it becomes bulk into the United States. Then they break it up and put it in packages."
By blending in with hundreds of everyday vacationers on flights from big cities like Los Angeles, smugglers hope to fly across the country without getting stopped.
According to a court affidavit, during a May 7 bust, police watched Alvonte Cooper grab two large suitcases off baggage belt 30. Cooper immediately ripped the airline luggage tags off the handles and tossed them in the trash.
When officers searched the bags, they say they found 57.6 pounds of marijuana packed inside 50 vacuum-sealed bags, wrapped in blankets, and stuffed with dryer sheets to cover up the smell.
In a second bust on July 1, police found an even crazier tactic across five target suitcases filled with 144.4 pounds of marijuana: the suitcase locks were completely glued shut.
"Anything to attempt to try to get away from a dog," Cluck said about the glued locks. "The canines are fantastic. They are amazing creatures and glue doesn't do anything to them. So they smell the drugs. They're highly trained themselves, and they can detect that information."
How did it get on the plane?
Why you should care:
The busts leave many travelers asking one big question: How did hundreds of pounds of marijuana get checked onto a plane in Los Angeles to begin with?
In a statement to FOX 35, a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson said that TSA's main job is catching weapons and explosives, not stopping drugs:
"TSA’s primary mission is aviation security: detecting explosives, incendiaries, weapons, and other items that could pose a threat to aircraft, passengers, or airport operations. At origin airports such as LAX, checked baggage is generally screened before it is loaded onto an aircraft using automated detection systems and, when necessary, additional screening methods."
TSA added that if screeners spot suspicious bags or potential crimes, they hand the information over to local airport police to handle the arrests.
Who was charged?
Court records show two men are facing felony charges in connection to the busts:
- Avante Garrick, 25, faces felony charges for drug trafficking and bringing marijuana into Florida.
- Alvonte Cooper, 22, faces felony charges for drug trafficking, importing marijuana, and using commercial travel to commit a crime.
The Source: This story was written based on information taken from court documents filed in the Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court.