LOS ANGELES
A JetBlue flight attendant who allegedly attempted to use her credentials to bring nearly 70 pounds of cocaine through a security checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday was charged today with a federal narcotics trafficking offense, officials announced today.
Marsha Reynolds, 31, of Jamaica, New York, was taken into custody this afternoon after she surrendered herself to the Drug Enforcement Administration at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Reynolds was charged in federal court Wednesday with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine after she allegedly abandoned 68.49 pounds of cocaine after being directed to a secondary screening area at LAX on Friday.
“Our nation’s security depends on every individual with security clearances to honor the trust placed in them,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “The defendant’s conduct violated that trust and, in the process, exposed the public to a major narcotics transaction and the dangers inherent to such a transaction. The intervention of the Transportation Security Administration and law enforcement ensured the safety of the passengers and staff at LAX.”
The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint alleges that Reynolds approached the Known Crew Member security checkpoint in Terminal 4 at LAX Friday evening. After showing her official badge and identification to the Transport Security Administration officer on duty, Reynolds was randomly selected for additional screening.
Reynolds was then escorted to a secondary screening area. Upon arriving at this checkpoint, Reynolds dropped her luggage, removed her shoes, and fled the area, running down an upward-traveling escalator and away from TSA officers.
According to the affidavit by an FBI agent, law enforcement officials followed protocol to determine that Reynolds’ luggage did not contain explosives or any dangerous devices. An LAX police then officer conducted an inspection of the bag and discovered a total of 11 individually wrapped packages which were later determined to contain cocaine.
When Reynolds was chosen for a random security screening, TSA Officer Jamie Samuel said the flight attendant became nervous and began looking around before pulling out her cellphone and making a call, according to the affidavit.
Samuel reported that Reynolds was talking on the phone in a foreign language as she was being taken to a secondary screening area, the affidavit says. Once in the secondary screening area, TSA Officer Charles James asked for her identification.
“At this time, Reynolds dropped her carry-on luggage, removed her shoes and began to run away,” according to the affidavit. James saw Reynolds run down an upward-moving escalator and out of the terminal, the affidavit says, adding that the officer didn’t pursue her because her abandoned luggage was his main concern.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Reynolds is expected to make her initial court appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
If she is convicted of the narcotics trafficking offense, Reynolds would face a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.