Major carriers at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM.
ST. THOMAS — A man was arrested and charged with drug trafficking after Customs and Border Protection officials reportedly found his suitcase filled with marijuana.
According to court documents, David Smith was a passenger on Tuesday’s Spirit Airlines flight from Orlando, Florida to St. Thomas. When Customs & Border protection officials screened the checked baggage coming off the flight, they say they observed “anomalies” after x-raying a purple suitcase marked with his name.
A physical search of the bag revealed two large plastic bags containing several smaller vacuum sealed bundles. The bag was placed back with the other luggage while officers monitored the baggage claim area to see who would collect it.
Smith retrieved the suitcase and was subsequently intercepted by officers, who confirmed his identity and escorted him to the secondary inspection area.
A total of 25 vacuum-sealed bundles were retrieved from the purple suitcase. Each contained a green leafy substance – 11.6 kilograms in all – that returned positive results in a field test or marijuana.
Smith was then arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
As of press time, he has not yet made his first appearance before a District Court magistrate.
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