Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport intercepted 23 pounds of marijuana in the checked luggage of Octavious Lamar Dozier, 27, of Atlanta, on August 5, leading to his arrest by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police. This was the second such arrest in three days at Dulles, as authorities report an ongoing trend of attempts to smuggle marijuana to Europe where it commands higher profits.
Per CBP: “For the second time in three days, airport police arrested an alleged drug mule at Washington Dulles International Airport after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 23 pounds of marijuana in his United Kingdom-bound baggage.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police officers arrested Octavious Lamar Dozier, 27 years old, of Atlanta, on August 5 and charged him with transporting a controlled substance into the Commonwealth, and possession with intent to distribute, both felony charges. Dozier attempted to board a Dublin-bound flight with follow-on travel to Leeds, England.
An Atlanta man was arrested after CBP officers bagged a second marijuana load in three days at Washington Dulles International Airport from travelers destined to Europe.
CBP officers continue to catch travelers attempting to smuggle bulk marijuana loads to Europe.
CBP officers inspected checked baggage being loaded onto the Dublin flight and discovered numerous vacuum-sealed packages inside a hard-sided suitcase. Officers intercepted Dozier at the departure gate and escorted him and the marijuana-laden suitcase to CBP’s inspection station for a secondary examination.
CBP officers counted 14 vacuum-sealed packages inside the suitcase. The packages contained a green leafy substance that field tested positive for marijuana. The marijuana weighed a combined 10.52 kilograms, or 23 pounds, 3 ounces. The marijuana had a street value of about $90,000. Depending on potency, this shipment could have fetched two to three times more in Europe.
On August 3, MWAA Police officers charged a Las Vegas woman after CBP officers discovered 59 pounds of weed in her Frankfurt-bound checked baggage at Dulles airport. CBP officers across the country continue to observe a trend of transnational criminal organizations attempting to transport marijuana through passenger baggage and express air delivery to Europe where high-quality weed can generate huge profits.
Despite some states decriminalizing marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, marijuana possession and use remains illegal under federal law. Federal law also prohibits transporting marijuana across state lines or exporting it from the United States. CBP officers turned Dozier and the marijuana over to MWAA Police officers. Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
“If you smuggle drug loads for criminal organizations, you will be caught and face criminal consequences. Don’t be a fool and do jail time for uncaring gangs that see you as cheap, disposable labor,” said Christine Waugh, Area Port Director for CBP’s Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold drug mules and criminal organizations accountable.”
Every day, CBP officers and agents seized an average of 1,571 pounds of dangerous drugs last year at and between our nation’s air, sea, and land ports of entry. See CBP’s enforcement stats to see what other dangerous drugs CBP is encountering at our nation’s borders.
CBP’s border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.”
