{"id":28527,"date":"2016-12-22T18:46:29","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T02:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=28527"},"modified":"2016-12-22T18:46:29","modified_gmt":"2016-12-23T02:46:29","slug":"l-a-man-tried-to-smuggle-heroin-inside-christmas-wrapped-boxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=28527","title":{"rendered":"L.A. Man Tried to Smuggle Heroin Inside Christmas-Wrapped Boxes"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"U.S.A Los Angeles man is facing federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly trying to smuggle two pounds of \u00a0heroin on a plane leaving Los Angeles International Airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Federal officials said James Mitchell<\/strong>, 25, who resides in Pico-Union, was arrested Wednesday by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration after prosecutors on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint in federal court, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The complaint specifically alleges that Mitchell attempted to smuggle approximately 2.15 pounds of heroin through a security checkpoint at LAX on December 10.<\/span><\/p>\n

The complaint charges Mitchell with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and possession with the intent to distribute heroin. \u00a0He is facing up to 40 years in prison if he is convicted of the most serious felony charges, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Mitchell had checked in for a Frontier Airlines flight to Cincinnati, Ohio, only two days after purchasing a one-way ticket. Mitchell checked one article of luggage that \u201calerted to an unknown dense material\u201d during an \u201cimage scan\u201d by the Transportation Security Administration.<\/span><\/p>\n

An inspection of the bag revealed \u201csix packages of a suspicious gray brittle concrete-like substance,\u201d one of which later tested positive for heroin. The packages were wrapped in Christmas-themed paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

TSA officials noted a \u201cvinegar odor\u201d emanating from one of the packages, which prompted Los Angeles World Airport police officers to seek assistance from a Hazardous Materials Unit. A portion of Terminal 3 was closed while personnel worked to detect and alleviate any potential chemical threat, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

World Airport Police responding to the scene worked with Frontier Airlines in an attempt to locate Mitchell.<\/span><\/p>\n

When he answered a phone call from Frontier personnel, Mitchell told the gate agent he was in the restroom and not feeling well. At about this same time, airport surveillance cameras captured Mitchell exiting the terminal while speaking on a cell phone. Once outside, Mitchell removed a beanie cap from his head and changed his sweater, disappearing on foot in the lower terminal arrival area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Investigators ultimately tracked Mitchell down at his Pico-Union residence, obtained an arrest warrant, and took him into custody without incident Wednesday. After his arrest, investigators confirmed Mitchell is an employee of Aero Port Services at LAX and has direct access to secure areas of the airport.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt a time when airlines are carrying loved ones across the country and the world, this defendant jeopardized passenger safety by attempting to use the system to traffic in dangerous drugs,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. \u201cInterdicting drug shipments is part of the mission to protect our critical infrastructure, and criminals seeking to abuse that infrastructure will be punished.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, Mitchell is charged in relation to only one of the six packages recovered from his luggage. Authorities are in the process of testing the other five packages to confirm the presence of heroin.<\/span><\/p>\n

The total weight of all six packages is more than 14 pounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitchell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCriminal organizations recruiting individuals with special access to commercial aircraft pose a serious threat to commercial aviation,\u201d said DEA Special Agent in Charge Steve Comer. \u201cAccordingly, we\u2019re working with our law enforcement partners to mitigate this threat and aggressively prosecute individuals that could potentially exploit such access.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES A Los Angeles man is facing federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly trying to smuggle two pounds of \u00a0heroin on a plane leaving Los Angeles International Airport. Federal officials said…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\nL.A. 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