Woman Caught with $160K in Crystal Meth by CBP Officers at LAX

Release Date: 

July 27, 2016

LOS ANGELES —U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) seized 11.24 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, hidden within the lining of a passenger’s suitcase on July 18th. The estimated value of the seized contraband is $160,000.

CBP Officers at LAX discovered 11.2 pounds
of crystal meth hidden in passenger's
suitcase

CBP Officers referred a 27-year-old U.S. citizen female from San Ysidro, CA that was arriving from Guadalajara, Mexico for a secondary inspection due to her nervous behavior. A further inspection of the passenger’s baggage revealed a false compartment containing tape-wrapped packages of crystallized methamphetamine. 

“Once again, the training, expertise and commitment of our LAX CBP Officers prevented dangerous narcotics from entering and harming our community.” said Mitchell Merriam, CBP Los Angeles International Airport Port Director.

False compartment containing $160K worth
of crystallized methamphetamine

The passenger was subsequently arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agents, along with the seized contraband, for further investigation.

CBP is responsible for inspecting all arriving and departing international passengers, to include conducting searches for narcotics, weapons, currency, agriculture, and other prohibited or illicit products. On a typical day, CBP seizes more than 9,000 pounds of narcotics at and between our nation’s 328 international ports of entry.