A large marijuana shipment that was reportedly destined for Paris won’t be arriving because authorities seized the 68 bags of vacuum-sealed buds at Dulles International Airport and arrested the men accused of transporting it.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported that the large bags of weed, which weighed over 72 pounds, were found in three checked suitcases that were being loaded onto a plane headed to Keflavik, Iceland.
Las Vegas residents Kaliq Talib McCallister, 33, and Christian Tyler Knight, 28, were identified as the travelers responsible for those suitcases. According to CBP, their plan was to pass through Iceland to get Paris.
The material in the vacuum-sealed bags was field-tested, and the results were positive for marijuana, CBP reported.
The 72 pounds of marijuana in those suitcases has a street value of up to $350,000 in the United States, depending on potency. But it could bring in two to three times that amount in Paris, said CBP.
According to CBP, agents are seeing an increasing trends of U.S. growers and retailers shipping weed to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed can fetch prices many times higher than in the U.S.
“Marijuana remains illegal federally, and travelers who smuggle bulk amounts of marijuana gamble with their freedom to chase a few extra bucks,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for Washington DC.
Although there’s an increasing trend of shipping marijuana overseas, CBP said its officers generally see it being exported in smaller parcels. “Marijuana-stuffed suitcases” are something they only see occasionally.
Apparently proud of the discovery, Calixte said “Customs and Border Protection officers are hard to bet against.”
McCallister and Knight were charged with felony possession with intent to distribute, transportation, and narcotics conspiracy charges.
Follow the Watchful Eye on Twitter and Facebook
Help keep news you can use coming by clicking to directly support the Watchful Eye, an independent, local news channel. Any and all is appreciated!
