More than 200 pounds of marijuana allegedly traveled on commercial flights from Los Angeles to Orlando International Airport (MCO) this summer before police seized the drugs in two separate airport investigations.
According to police records recently obtained by FOX 35 Orlando, the smugglers allegedly tried to move hundreds of pounds of bulk marijuana from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) into Central Florida.
Undercover Orlando Police Department (OPD) officers and drug-sniffing K-9s helped intercept the shipments, FOX 35 reported.
Investigators said the suspects used superglue and removed luggage tags in an apparent effort to avoid detection. Dryer sheets were also reportedly used to mask the marijuana’s odor.
In the first seizure, on May 7, officers discovered 57.6 pounds of marijuana divided among 50 vacuum-sealed bags. The packages were wrapped in blankets and packed with dryer sheets, according to the report.
During a second bust on July 1, police recovered 144.4 pounds of marijuana from suitcases whose locks had been completely sealed with glue.
FOX 35 reported that the suspects, who are in their 20s, now face felony drug trafficking charges.
Keith Jeffries, vice president of K2 Security Screening Group, told Fox News Digital that drug smuggling aboard commercial flights “can happen in multiple ways.”
He said those possibilities could include airport or airline employees helping smugglers, or traffickers using drug couriers. However, Jeffries cautioned that it is still unclear how the marijuana got onto the flights in these cases.
Jeffries also said authorities may have received information about specific travelers or bags from a confidential informant.
READ MORE: Arizona Sheriff’s Helicopter Saves Man Stranded on Truck in Flood
“It’s unknown at this time without talking to law enforcement and getting the specifics,” he said.
Jeffries, a former TSA federal security director at LAX and deputy federal security director at MCO, said drug trafficking “can happen on any domestic route — and it does.”
He added that Orlando’s role as a major tourism hub could make the city an appealing destination for traffickers.
“The illegal perpetrators in this [situation] may think and believe that, well, the security must be lax there, which is not the case,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries noted that TSA officers are not tasked with specifically searching for illegal drugs. When suspected narcotics are found during screening, the matter is referred to law enforcement.
“The TSA’s administrative search authority is very, very narrow and very specific,” Jeffries said.
“TSA does not look for illegal narcotics,” he added. “They simply say, ‘We’ve got an unknown substance, and we need law enforcement’s attention so that law enforcement can validate what it is or is not.’”
Fox News Digital contacted the Orlando Police Department for additional information.
The marijuana shipments intercepted in Orlando were stopped by local law enforcement. Meanwhile, TSA officers have reported other unusual discoveries during airport security screenings in recent weeks.
Earlier in September, TSA officers at Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas found a pocketknife hidden inside a tube of toothpaste during a routine carry-on bag screening.
In Tampa, TSA officers recently discovered a 4-inch, double-edged knife concealed inside a baseball bat-shaped flashlight in a passenger’s carry-on bag.
