Oakland Airport TSA Agents Find 81 Pounds Of Pot In Luggage, Woman Arrested
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A woman attempting to fly from Oakland International Airport to Mississippi was arrested Friday morning after Transportation Security Agency inspectors said they found more than 80 pounds of marijuana in her luggage.
Photos from the TSA showed three suitcases had marijuana in neatly packed plastic bags.
TSA spokesperson Nico Melendez told the Bay Area News Group that 26-year-old Anastasia Murdock checked in luggage for a US Airways flight to Jackson, Mississippi shortly before 6 a.m.
Melendez said agents were surprised when they found 81 pounds of marijuana in her suitcases. The pot was confiscated and Murdock was arrested in the terminal by Alameda County sheriff's deputies.
Melendez said the TSA is not responsible for searching luggage for drugs or other illegal items but is required to contact authorities when contraband is found.
"When something like that happens, such as marijuana, cocaine or child pornography, our job is to notify law enforcement," he said.
Murdock is being held at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Authorities said she is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
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