LAX Drug Bust: Airport Worker Accused of Smuggling Heroin Disguised as Christmas Presents

LOS ANGELES, CA -- An airport worker is facing federal drug trafficking charges for allegedly trying to smuggle at least a kilogram of heroin on a plane leaving Los Angeles International Airport.

James Mitchell, 25, who lives in Pico-Union, was arrested Wednesday by special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration after prosecutors on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint in federal court, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Mitchell allegedly attempted to smuggle approximately 2.15 pounds of heroin through LAX on Dec. 10 on a Frontier Airlines flight bound for Cincinnati, Ohio. Authorities said he bought a one-way ticket and checked in one piece of luggage that “alerted to an unknown dense material” during a security scan by the Transportation Security Administration.

An inspection of the bag revealed “six packages of a suspicious gray brittle concrete-like substance,” one of which later tested positive for heroin, prosecutors said.

The packages were wrapped in Christmas-themed paper. TSA officials noted a “vinegar odor” from one of the packages, which prompted Los Angeles Airport police officers to ask for assistance from a hazardous materials unit.

A portion of Terminal 3 was closed while personnel worked to detect and alleviate any potential chemical threat.

Airport Police worked with Frontier Airlines in an attempt to locate Mitchell. When he answered a phone call from Frontier personnel, Mitchell told the gate agent he was in the restroom and not feeling well.

At around the same time, airport surveillance cameras captured Mitchell exiting the terminal while speaking on a cell phone. Once outside, Mitchell removed a beanie cap from his head and changed his sweater, disappearing on foot in the lower terminal arrival area, authorities said.

Investigators ultimately tracked Mitchell down at his home, obtained an arrest warrant, and took him into custody without incident Wednesday morning.

After his arrest, investigators confirmed Mitchell is an employee of Aero Port Services at LAX and has direct access to secure areas of the airport.

“At a time when airlines are carrying loved ones across the country and the world, this defendant jeopardized passenger safety by attempting to use the system to traffic in dangerous drugs,” said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Interdicting drug shipments is part of the mission to protect our critical infrastructure, and criminals seeking to abuse that infrastructure will be punished.”

At this point, Mitchell is charged in relation to only one of the six packages recovered from his luggage. Authorities are in the process of testing the other five packages to confirm the presence of heroin. The total weight of all six packages approximately 14 pounds, authorities said.

The complaint charges Mitchell with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, and possession with the intent to distribute heroin. If convicted, Mitchell faces a mandatory minimum term of five years in federal prison, and a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years, prosecutors said.

-- Photo courtesy of the Department of Justice