British Gay Porn Star Gets 2 Years In Federal Prison For Trying To Smuggle Meth Through LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A British gay porn star was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison Thursday for trying to smuggle a half-pound of crystal meth in his body through Los Angeles International Airport.

Philip Gizzie, who uses the stage name Bruno Knight, was arrested June 16 after he told LAX customs officers that he had "inserted three large objects containing methamphetamine" into a body cavity, according to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after being released from prison.

"I am sorry to you and your country," Gizzie told U.S. District Judge Manuel Real.

Gizzie, 31, pleaded guilty in August to a federal count of possession with intent to distribute meth.

In a letter to the court, Gizzie apologized, saying he had been addled by drug use and was thankful for the sobriety he has found during five months in a federal lockup.

Defense attorney Neha A. Meta told the judge her client's crime was driven by addiction as she argued for a six-month sentence.

"He's not a sophisticated drug dealer," she said. "It was mostly for his personal use."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Baehr-Jones said Gizzie's crime warranted the two-year term.

"The transportation of drugs internationally is a very serious offense," the prosecutor said outside the courtroom.

According to the affidavit, Gizzie was scheduled to depart LAX on a flight to London after what he described as a weekend of partying with friends in North Hollywood.

Acting on an anonymous tip to the Drug Enforcement Administration, customs officials located Gizzie, who had no checked luggage, and began questioning him, according to court documents.

Gizzie, appearing "nervous and sweating profusely, "told officers that he had taken meth, marijuana, cocaine and the narcotic sedative known as GHB over the weekend but was not high at the moment," the affidavit said.

During a secondary inspection, Gizzie told officers that he was carrying three packets of meth in his body.

According to the affidavit, "Gizzie expelled two of these objects at LAX and passed the third object at Centinela Hospital." The weight of the drugs was 226 grams, the affidavit said.

Gizzie, who said he was an HIV-positive porn actor and male escort, left London three days earlier with his partner, a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant.

Gizzie has worked for several gay porn studios. In a scene from the 2011 porno film "Security Control," Gizzie plays an airport security guard who searches another porn actor's body for drugs.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)