Man, 25, Pleads Guilty To LAX Pot Smuggling Scheme
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 25-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal conspiracy charges that involved smuggling pot to and from Los Angeles International Aiport by bribing former Transportation Security Administration agents.
Andrew Welter and co-defendant Charles "Smoke" Hicks, 24, admitted to working with ex-TSA agent Millage Peaks IV to smuggle marijuana onto flights, according to court papers.
Peaks told the defendants he would pay $500 for every suitcase filled with pot that would go through airport security.
Peaks and former agents Randy Littlefield and Dianna Perez have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges.
Prosecutors said Perez helped the drug smugglers avoid security by showing them how to go through TSA alarms from Nov. 2010 to Oct. 2012.
The pot was flown from Los Angeles to Boston.
Welter faces up to five years in prison.
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