Outbound Operation for Marijuana Results in Hashish Seizure
STERLING, Va. – A male California resident is facing felony narcotics possession charges after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered nearly 88 pounds of Hashish in his checked baggage on Monday at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Virginia State Police troopers charged Johnathan Edward Perez, 27, with felony possession with intent to distribute, transportation, and narcotics conspiracy charges.
CBP has observed an increasing trend of United States-based growers and retailers shipping marijuana to Europe and Africa where high-quality weed can fetch prices many times higher than in the U.S. It was during one of these outbound inspections targeted on seizing marijuana leaving the United States that CBP officers discovered this outbound load of Hashish.
CBP officers discovered large vacuum-sealed bags full of suspected hashish in three suitcases being loaded onto a Sao Paulo, Brazil bound flight from Washington, D.C. CBP officers identified the traveler and escorted the subject and baggage back to CBP’s inspection station.
During a baggage examination, CBP officers retrieved 28 vacuum-sealed bags of brown bricks that field-tested positive for hashish. The hashish weighed a combined 39.87 kilograms, or 87.89 pounds, 15 ounces, and has a street value of as much as $10,500 in the United States, depending on potency.
CBP officers turned the man and the hashish over to Virginia State Police troopers.
“This seizure of Hashish is a gentle reminder to those who look to skirt our laws that CBP is steadfast in its enforcement responsibility,” said Marc E. Calixte, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. “Customs and Border Protection officers demonstrate daily dedication in stemming the flow of illegal narcotics, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure smugglers are held accountable.”
CBP officers and agents seized an average of 2,895 pounds of dangerous drugs every day at and between our nation’s air, sea, and land ports of entry. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.
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