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A 28-year-old American citizen was arrested at the Miami International Airport (MIA) after attempting to board an international flight with more than 81 pounds of hashish hidden in his luggage.
The seizure, valued at over two million dollars, has been described by a judge as “a tremendous amount of drugs,” and represents one of the most significant cannabis confiscations of the year at an airport terminal in southern Florida.
Three suitcases and a destination: São Paulo
Jay Jay Jackson St. Louis, resident of Asbury Park, New Jersey, was arrested on Saturday, January 31, while preparing to board a flight to São Paulo, Brazil, operated by LATAM Airlines.
According to the authorities, the young man had checked in three suitcases that were behind the counter, ready to be transported by the baggage carousel.
It was the airline staff who alerted the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents after detecting irregularities in the passenger's luggage record.
In a preliminary review, the officers identified multiple vacuum-sealed packages, "consistent with previous marijuana seizures," according to the arrest affidavit cited by local media.
37 kilos of hashish: One of the largest recent seizures
A more thorough inspection confirmed the suspicions: inside the suitcases were 37.11 kilograms of hashish, equivalent to over 81 pounds (81.8 pounds, according to the Miami Herald report).
It involved a shipment of compressed cannabis concentrate, whose value on the black market was estimated to be between 2.2 and 2.3 million dollars, according to a detective cited during the court hearing.
The authorities immediately confiscated the luggage and its contents, and notified the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office (MDSO), whose agents came to the airport terminal to formalize the arrest.
St. Louis was transferred to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK), where he was held pending a court hearing.
Judicial reaction: "That's a lot."
During the bail hearing, Judge Mindy Glazer was taken aback by the amount of drugs seized.
"That's an enormous amount," exclaimed the magistrate after hearing the street value assessment of the drug.
Finally, a bail of $20,000 was set for the accused, who now faces charges of cannabis trafficking, a felony in the state of Florida that can carry significant penalties if intent to distribute or international trafficking is proven.
The fact that the final destination of the flight was São Paulo, a city regarded as a key hub for international drug trafficking in South America, has strengthened suspicions that this is part of a larger operation.
The authorities have not provided details about possible accomplices or trafficking networks, but it is not ruled out that the investigation may broaden to determine if St. Louis was acting as a "mule" for a larger criminal organization.
It has not been disclosed whether the accused has a criminal record or if he cooperated with authorities during his arrest.
His lawyer, Nicholas Nathaniel Stelter, did not respond to requests for comments from local media.
A profile that raises questions
St. Louis, who is not recognized as a known trafficker nor has a previous media profile, reportedly attempted to use a commercial flight to transport the substance, indicating both a degree of audacity and a possible underestimation of security protocols at U.S. airports.
Cases like this reaffirm the role of airlines as the first line of defense in detecting irregularities in international flights.
In this case, the timely intervention of LATAM Airlines staff was crucial in preventing the drug from leaving the country.
Unlike regular marijuana, hashish is a concentrated form of cannabis that contains significantly higher levels of THC.
For this reason, possession in large quantities is often punished more severely in the U.S. judicial system.
Florida, although it has partially decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis for medical purposes, maintains strict laws against the trafficking of this substance.
The amount confiscated in this case far exceeds the threshold for considering the crime as large-scale trafficking.
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