247 pounds of marijuana seized at Baltimore airport in London-bound smuggling attempts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers thwarted four London-bound smuggling attempts of marijuana at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport within the past two months, weighing a combined 247 pounds.
Officers found 116 pounds of marijuana on Feb. 6 in the luggage of a pair of travelers from Baltimore, 73 pounds on March 11 in the luggage of a Los Angeles couple, 29 pounds on March 16 in the luggage of a United Kingdom woman, and 29 pounds on March 19 in the luggage of a Baltimore man.
The U.K. woman was determined to be inadmissible, removed, and barred from returning to the United States, and the U.S. travelers were released, but may be charged later pending investigations.
Combined, the marijuana loads had a street value of about $675,000 in the United States, and high-quality weed could be worth two to three times higher in Europe, according to the CBP.
According to the CBP, federal law prohibits transporting marijuana across state lines or exporting it from the United States.
Seizures during a marijuana smuggling attempt
Two narcotics detector dogs alerted CBP officers in two of the marijuana seizures. Two other dogs -- an American Black Labrador and a German Shepherd -- alerted officers to the marijuana luggage on March 11 and March 19.
CBP said officers inspected baggage being loaded onto London-bound flights, detected the marijuana, identified the travelers through their baggage tags, and detained them at their departure gates.
"If you smuggle drug loads for criminal organizations, we will catch you and you will face criminal consequences. Don't be a fool and do jail time for uncaring gangs that see you as cheap, disposable labor," said Adam Rottman, CBP's area port director in Baltimore. "Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold smugglers and criminal organizations accountable."
