Over 200 Pounds of Marijuana Seized in Two Airport Busts
Smugglers attempted to conceal drugs using superglue, dryer sheets, and ripped luggage tags.
Orlando police intercepted more than 200 pounds of marijuana over the summer in two separate busts involving commercial flights arriving from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
Investigators recovered 57.6 pounds of marijuana on May 7, packed in 50 vacuum-sealed bags. The drugs were reportedly wrapped in blankets and concealed with dryer sheets to mask the odor. In a second bust on July 1, authorities seized 144.4 pounds of marijuana found in suitcases with locks that had been glued shut.
Suspects in their 20s are facing felony drug trafficking charges. Police records obtained by FOX 35 Orlando indicate that the smugglers attempted to evade detection using methods such as superglue and altered luggage tags.
According to Keith Jeffries, vice president of K2 Security Screening Group and former TSA federal security director at LAX and deputy federal security director at Orlando International Airport (MCO), drug smuggling can occur through various means. These could involve airport or airline employees assisting traffickers, or the use of drug mules. He noted that it is unclear how the drugs made it onto the flights in these specific cases.
Jeffries stated that drug trafficking is not uncommon on domestic routes and that Orlando's status as a major tourist destination might be perceived by perpetrators as a location with potentially lax security, although he emphasized this is not the case.
He also clarified that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not specifically search for illegal narcotics. Instead, TSA officers refer any suspected substances to law enforcement for validation. "The TSA's administrative search authority is very, very narrow and very specific," Jeffries said.