() A couple traveling from Los Angeles to Brazil was detained by Customs and Border Protection officers recently at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport after agents found illegal narcotics, including more than 70 pounds of hash, in their carry-on luggage, the agency announced Tuesday.
The two U.S. citizens, who were not named by CBP, were detained after both were selected for an enforcement examination, a standard CBP practice to intercept drug smuggling, officials said. The couple’s checked bags were pulled, and inspectors found heavy objects wrapped in white T-shirts that were packed inside vacuum-sealed bags.
The couple, who were attempting to make a connecting flight to Sao Paulo, was asked for tickets for their checked bags, and after presenting agents with the tickets, the couple was detained while their bags were inspected further, CBP said.
The woman told agents that she had packed the bag herself before inspectors discovered a black vacuum-sealed bag that contained a brick-sized brownish tar substance, which tested positive for marijuana hashish weighing 37 pounds. The man also said he had packed his carry-on suitcase, which contained a bag with a green, leafy substance, along with several other bags with items wrapped in white T-shirts.
Officials said that the bags found inside the man’s luggage tested positive for cocaine hydrochloride, and the other tested positive for ketamine hydrochloride along with ecstasy pills. Officers seized a total of 35 pounds of hash from the man’s bag, 28 grams of marijuana, 1.42 grams of ecstasy, .9 grams of ketamine and .8 grams of cocaine.
According to court records, Solomon Kelly, 42, of California, was charged with a pair of Class X felonies, including cannabis trafficking over 5,000 grams and cannabis manufacturing and delivery over 5,000 grams. He was also charged with possession of cannabis and three counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Kelly was released from custody after posting bail pending trial.
“These individuals believed they were going to easily slip by CBP’s watchful eye – they were wrong,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of CBP’s field operations in the Chicago Field Office. “Unfortunately, this is a method of smuggling we continue to encounter with narcotic traffickers, and there are consequences for their actions.”
In July alone, CBP officers and agents seized nearly 60,500 pounds of drugs between the nation’s air, sea and land ports of entry, the agency said.
is awaiting word from CBP about possible charges involving the female traveler.
