Crime

Sisters-in-Law Say Birthday Trip Turned Into Smuggling Setup; Co-Passenger Claimed His Marijuana

Three inbound passengers at the Cyril E. King Airport were charged with drug trafficking offenses after marijuana was allegedly found in their suitcases. According to court documents, sisters-in-law Ailina Armaz and Mayra Ochoa arrived on a July 31 United Airlines flight from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. South Carolina man Jaylen Keeles was also on the flight, which reportedly originated in Las Vegas, Nevada. Customs and Border Protection officials doing x-ray screening on the flight's checked luggage say they found anomalies in three suitcases. Two of these were tagged with the names of Ms. Armaz and Ms. Ochoa respectively, while the third apparently belonged to Mr. Keeles. The luggage was placed on the baggage claim carousel, and CBP officers watched as the two women retrieved the suitcases that were labelled with their names. Once approached, the women reportedly told officers that they were merely transporting the luggage from Las Vegas, Nevada to St. Thomas to be handed o...