Feds busted an airport worker and a friend from turning an LAX men’s restroom into a drug den after the duo was caught allegedly transporting 24 pounds of fentanyl.
A 24-year-old LAX worker named Miguel Angel Tuz-Noh and 23-year-old Anthony Olvera – both from Lennox in South Bay – were arrested after allegedly attempting to transport fentanyl meant for a Minnesota-bound flight.
“Both defendants were arrested on August 19 and made their initial appearances on August 21 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered each of them released on $10,000 bond. Their arraignments are scheduled for September 17,” the Justice Department announced on Monday.
Federal authorities believe that Tuz-Noh had ties to a drug trafficking organization and that they “observed Tuz-Noh and Olvera attempt to exchange narcotics in a men’s bathroom” at an airport terminal.
When police arrested the two men, they discovered a duffle bag that carried ten “brick-type” packages carrying fentanyl that was supposedly bound for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The pair have been charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and may face a minimum jail sentence of ten years and a maximum possible sentence of life.
LAPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration are currently investigating this trafficking scheme.
This comes after two LAX employees were charged with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The two contract workers were caught smuggling drugs in April and may also face a minimum of ten years or up to life in prison.
