Suitcases Full Of Weed: Why Trafficking Arrests Surge At LAX

LOS ANGELES, CA — If marijuana trafficking arrests at Los Angeles International Airport are any indication, California is not living up to its reputation as the laidback state. More than a year after the state legalized recreational use of cannabis, drug trafficking arrests surged 166 percent at the airport. That's because the industrious people of California grow more than they smoke.

The Los Angeles Times delved into the surprising statistics Monday and found that more and more smugglers are taking to the friendly skies in an effort to escape California's glutted cannabis market, according to authorities, marijuana industry experts and a lawyer who represents accused smugglers.

Many dove into the cannabis market expecting to make their fortunes when the state legalized marijuana for recreational use. But there is a glut in the market. California grows far more marijuana than its residents consume -- up to five times more by some accounts -- and cannabis users in other states will pay a much higher price.

"Since pot's been legalized in California, there's no money to be made because everyone got involved in it," Bill Kroger Jr., a 20- year criminal defense lawyer who specializes in marijuana cases told the Times. "They've got these big 50,000-square-foot [grow] houses, and they're flooding the market. The money is outside of California."

Under legalization, the penalty for smuggling is light enough to make it worth the risk, according to experts. Now, the world's fourth-busiest airport is now an expanding hub in the illegal export of marijuana, they say.

"This is normal procedure for these guys, and I would say 29 out of 30 times they make it through without a problem," said Kroger.

It's not just recreational users attempting to travel with their personal stash. Authorities are finding suitcases stuffed full of marijuana in the checked luggage. Police in Oakland and Sacramento say they are seeing the same thing.

"We intercept large quantities of marijuana regularly," said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, which has jurisdiction over Oakland International Airport. "We find it in about 50-pound quantities -- the carry-on rate for luggage. I would imagine we're only intercepting some of it, not all of it."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.