DULLES, Va. — A Maryland woman was arrested on felony charges after being caught with more than 53 pounds of marijuana in her checked luggage at Dulles International Airport on Tuesday.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers found vacuum-sealed bags full of suspected marijuana in two suitcases that were inspected while being loaded onto a flight headed to Paris, France.
The owner of the bags was identified as 33-year-old Sydney Lewis, of Bryans City, and she was found at the departure gate.
The bags as well as Lewis were taken back to the CBP inspection station. This is when officers found 50 vacuum-sealed bags of the green leafy substance, which was tested and confirmed to be marijuana. It weighed a total of 53 pounds and 5 ounces with a street value of $250,000, according to authorities.
CBP says depending on the potency the load could go for two to three times more in Paris.
Dulles CBP intercepts 53-pound marijuana load destined to Paris
Lewis has been charged with felony possession with intent to distribute, transportation, and narcotics conspiracy charges, according to authorities. CBP officers turned her and the marijuana over to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers.
“Marijuana remains illegal federally. Travelers who gamble with their freedom by smuggling bulk amounts of marijuana for a little extra cash may find themselves on the losing end of that proposition,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C.
According to CBP, they have seen an increasing trend of U.S.-based growers and retailers shipping marijuana to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed can fetch higher prices.
Recently, at Dulles Airport, officers seized 73 pounds of marijuana also being smuggled to Paris and 88 pounds of hashish destined to Brazil. Both passengers in those cases for felony narcotics possession by Virginia State Police.
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