114 Pounds Of Weed Worth $580K Seized At Philadelphia Airport

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 114 pounds of marijuana from two women traveling from Philadelphia to London this week.

According to federal authorities, Anetta Rachell Collins, 49, of Ventura, California., and Ty Taanetia Anettra Angel Mason, 24, of Las Vegas, Nevada, were charged with felony possession with intent to distribute after the discovery Tuesday.

While inspecting bags being loaded onto a London-bound flight, found a green leafy substance in vacuum-sealed bags in four soft-sided suitcases, authorities said.

Two-year-old narcotics detector dog Fredo alerted officers to the contents of the vacuum-sealed bags.

Customs officers at the departure gate identified the travelers associated with the baggage and escorted them back to an inspection station.

There, officers found 102 vacuum-sealed bags, and the contents field-tested positive for marijuana.

The combined marijuana weighed 51.7 kilograms, or 114 pounds. It has a street value of about $580,000 in Philadelphia. Depending on potency, the value could double or triple in London.

Agents from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, working on Homeland Security Investigation’s Border Enforcement Security Task Force, took custody of Collins, Mason, and the marijuana.

Authorities said this follows a continuing trend of United States-based growers and retailers shipping marijuana to Europe and Africa, where high-quality weed can fetch prices much higher than in the U.S.

Customs officers usually see the marijuana exported in smaller packages, but sometimes find travelers carrying marijuana-stuffed suitcases.

"Bulk marijuana smuggling is illegal, and Customs and Border Protection will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold smugglers accountable," Cleatus Hunt, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, said. "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."