Dulles CBP officers intercept 57-pound London bound marijuana load; Baltimore pair arrested

STERLING, Va. - Two Baltimore residents are facing felony narcotics charges after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted 57 pounds of marijuana in their baggage at Washington Dulles International Airport on April 16.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers charged Carl Caran Raashad Henson, 31, and Tilesha Kelly Theresa Coles, 31, with possession of controlled substances, transport into the Commonwealth with intent to distribute greater than five pounds of marijuana, and conspiracy to commit drug offenses.

While inspecting baggage being loaded onto a London-bound flight, CBP officers discovered multiple black vacuum-sealed bags inside two checked bags. Officers identified the travelers through their baggage tags, met them at the departure gate, and took the two travelers and their baggage back to CBP's inspection station.

During a baggage examination, CBP officers extracted 50 vacuum-sealed bags that contained a green leafy substance that field-tested positive for the presence of marijuana.

The combined weight was about 57 pounds, 6 ounces. The weed has a street value of about $220,000.

CBP officers turned the pair of travelers over to MWAA Police officers for prosecution.

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

"Transnational criminal organizations continue to carelessly profit on the misfortune of others by paying them peanuts to smuggle marijuana to Europe for higher profits. Instead of peanuts, these mules will be earning jail time and a criminal record," said Area Port Director Christine Waugh, CBP Area Port of Washington, D.C. "These arrests should be a wake-up call to would be smugglers that Customs and Border Protection officers will find you and we will work with our law enforcement partners to hold you accountable."

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, sometimes two to three times higher than in the United States.

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.

Recently, CBP officers in Baltimore seized 247 pounds of weed in four London-bound loads, and Philadelphia CBP officers seized 97 pounds of weed in two separate loads destined to London and Frankfurt.

Every day, CBP officers and agents seized an average of about 1,600 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.

Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, 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.

See what CBP accomplished during "a typical day" last year. Learn more at https://www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on X at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 69,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.

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