A Maryland man and woman were arrested after police found 57 pounds of marijuana worth $220,000 in two suitcases at Dulles International Airport.
Baltimore residents Carl Caran Raashad Henson, 31, and Tilesha Kelly Theresa Coles, 31, were arrested on April 16, with the bust announced by Customs and Border Protection on Friday. They are being charged with possession of controlled substances, transport into the commonwealth with intent to distribute greater than 5 pounds of marijuana, and conspiracy to commit drug offenses.
CBP officers discovered the 57 pounds of marijuana in 50 vacuum-sealed bags distributed across two checked suitcases, bound for a London-bound flight. The couple was met at the departure gate and taken back to the CBP’s inspection station.
“Transnational criminal organizations continue to carelessly profit on the misfortune of others by paying them peanuts to smuggle marijuana to Europe for higher profits. Instead of peanuts, these mules will be earning jail time and a criminal record,” Area Port Director Christine Waugh, CBP Area Port of Washington, D.C., said in a statement. “These arrests should be a wake-up call to would be smugglers that Customs and Border Protection officers will find you and we will work with our law enforcement partners to hold you accountable.”
A press release from CBP noted that it has noticed a pattern of transnational criminal organizations attempting to transport large quantities of marijuana through luggage to Europe, where high-quality marijuana can garner as much as two to three times higher profits than in the United States.
Despite the limited legalization of marijuana in the U.S., it remains illegal to transport the substance across state or international borders.
