Baggage handlers indicted in drug probe
Source: UTSanDiego.com
SAN DIEGO — Eleven people, including four baggage handlers who worked at Lindbergh Field, are accused of taking part in a “brazen scheme” to smuggle cocaine and methamphetamine onto commercial planes for distribution in cities throughout the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Monday.
They were indicted Friday by a federal grand jury following an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Narcotics Task Force that began more than a year ago. During the probe, agents seized 17 pounds of cocaine, 18 pounds of methamphetamine and more than $100,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
Some of the defendants are expected to be arraigned Tuesday in federal court. They are accused of conspiring to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine and methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The case is believed to be the first federal drug prosecution of airport employees at Lindbergh Field, U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said in a statement.
Read more: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/17/airport-baggage-handlers-charged-drug-case/all/