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A female passenger heading from San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany, was stopped at the airport as she tried to smuggle 151 pounds of cannabis onto her flight. The passenger, who was arrested on May 6, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, attempted to board a United Airlines
flight.
Her attempt to transport the drug was flagged by airport security when they noticed her bag was appearing unusually heavy. Once they questioned her further and opened her bags, 131 vacuum-sealed bags of cannabis were discovered.
Daina Bahlawan Was Subsequently Arrested
The female passenger, Daiana Bahlawan, was charged with unlawful transportation of marijuana and burglary. Her phone was confiscated, along with almost $1,000 in cash. The district attorney’s office has noted that further details on this case will be made public in the coming days, following the suspect’s court appearance, which is arranged for June 2.
Bahlawan, posted bail, and has since been released from custody pending trial. Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County District Attorney, noted that while it is unusual for marijuana transportation cases to be passed through his office, given the smaller volume, this is why it is being managed at a local level.
“It is unusual for my office to get a marijuana transportation case through the airport that involves [this] much marijuana.”
Common Smuggling Methods Being Spotted At Airport Security
While airport screening technologies have vastly improved, passengers will look for several different ways to conceal illicit items they may be carrying. This can include luggage concealments with false compartments, hidden pockets, or additional luggage linings. Drugs can also be hidden in electronics, food items, or even toiletries, like shampoo bottles that could have a false layer. Shoe smuggling is also on the rise, with drugs in shoes or heel cavities.
Body carrying via internal or external concealment is another way smugglers look to get their haul from A to B, with swallowing (also known as body packing), where the concealment is wrapped in latex and ingested, or hidden in body cavities. An external method can be strapped to the legs, torso, or groin area.
Deceptive packaging is yet another way smugglers look to transport illicit substances, by mislabeling items like pharmaceutical bottles, or vitamin containers, and even as far as using children’s items like formula containers, or stuffed toys.
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Improvements In Screening Make Smuggling Drugs Harder
Advancements in screening technologies have developed more ways to detect whether a passenger is attempting to smuggle illicit substances. Not only are airport security staff trained to identify strange behavior, but there are X-Ray scanners that check both cabin and checked baggage when passing through security. Pat downs will usually look to focus on high-risk areas, which include around the torso, ankles, or waist, and collaborating between airport security and customs will profile the most high-risk routes and specific passenger nationalities that are known to partake in smuggling behavior.
Organic material detection can appear as distinct organic masses, especially in the case of cocaine, heroin, and cannabis. These will also show as irregular shapes, which could either be within the person or even in luggage compartments. Body scanners will detect anomalies under the person’s clothing, like packets taped to the torso or other parts of the body, and explosive trace detection (also known as ETD) is the process of swabbing residue from hands, luggage, or currency, which may detect illicit substances.
Nervous behavior, or illogical travel patterns, are also tracked as behavioral and physical indicators that someone may be attempting to transport drugs, with airport staff trained to look out for those who may be excessively sweating or avoiding direct eye contact with airport personnel. Over politeness, or last-minute bookings paid in cash, will usually ring alarm bells and ensure that the authorities make sure that the transportation department can continue keeping on top of this ever-evolving trend.
“}]] 131 vacuum-sealed bags of the substance were found in her carry-on baggage. Read More
