A Texas woman allegedly attempted to sneak suitcases filled with 71 pounds of marijuana onto a flight from Dulles International to London.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police arrested Du Li Park, 30, on Nov. 23 for allegedly filling two suitcases with 60 vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana.
The drugs have a street value of up to $330,000 in the US and two to three times as much in London, according to Customs and Border Protection.
She was thwarted when customs officers checked the suitcases before they were loaded onto the plane.
Officers identified Park through baggage tags and escorted her and the two suitcases from the departure gate to CBP's inspection station.
"Travelers who gamble with their freedom by smuggling bulk amounts of marijuana for a little extra cash may find themselves on the losing end of that proposition," Marc Calixte, Customs and Border Protection area port director in D.C. said.
Park was charged with felony possession with intent to distribute, transporting controlled substances into the Commonwealth and narcotics conspiracy.
Federal law prohibits transporting marijuana across state lines or exporting it from the United States. However, CBP has observed a continuing trend of United States-based growers and retailers shipping marijuana to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed can fetch prices many times higher than in the U.S.
CBP officers usually see the marijuana being exported in smaller parcels, but occasionally officers encounter travelers carrying marijuana-stuffed suitcases.
This seizure is the latest in a trend of passengers smuggling bulk amounts of marijuana and hashish to Europe.
In April and March, MWAA Police arrested a Houston woman who attempted to smuggle 43 pounds of marijuana to the U.K., and a Maryland woman who attempted to smuggle 53 pounds of marijuana to Paris, respectively.
