Atlanta police arrested four people late last month after finding 174 pounds of marijuana in suitcases coming from a Seattle flight.
An Atlanta Police Department Airport Drug Interdiction K9 alerted officers to five suitcases unloaded May 26, reports KOMO News. Authorities said the suitcases were on their way to baggage claim at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Officers identified and detained four people who retrieved at least one of the bags from Atlanta baggage claim. Officers caught two of the suspects with an additional suitcase each containing Cannabis. Cops said they found seven suitcases with a total of 174 pounds of marijuana during the search. The marijuana had an approximate street value of around $700,000, police said.
Officers arrested Nicole Golden, 47, around 5 p.m., according to police. They took Naly Tong, 29, and Keomanyvanh Ton, 33, into custody around 7:30 pm, according to authorities. Each suspect had marijuana in their possession at the time of their arrest, police said, reports Yahoo News.
Police nabbed the fourth individual, Jarvis Sheppard, around 8:50 p.m. after he got two suitcases from baggage claim, police said.
Suspects Claim ‘Someone Else’ Packed Their Bags
Police said the suspects claimed someone else packed the suitcases or they were getting the suitcase for a different person. Nonetheless, all of the suspects now face charges for trafficking marijuana.
Keomanyvanh Tong had nearly 46 pounds of marijuana, and Naly Tong had 43.34 pounds, according to officials.
Sheppard, 32, got out of jail Thursday morning, police records show. Police caught him with 63.28 pounds of marijuana, according to their statement
All four suspects, charged with trafficking marijuana, remain in custody at the Clayton County Jail.
The four people who were arrested told police that either someone else packed the bags or that they were retrieving the bags for a different person, according to Atlanta police.
“Our advice is never travel with a bag that is not yours or one that you do not know the contents of and think twice before agreeing to retrieve someone else’s bag from an airport baggage claim,” Atlanta police said in a statement.
