LAX Employee and Friend Arrested With 24 Lbs of Fentanyl Bound for Minnesota

An LAX airport worker and his associate were busted allegedly smuggling 24 pounds of fentanyl through an airport bathroom. Both face charges that carry a minimum of ten years in prison.

LAX Airport Worker Among Two Charged in Fentanyl Smuggling Case Linked to Minnesota Flight

A Los Angeles airport employee and his associate were arrested after federal authorities allegedly caught them exchanging nearly 24 pounds of fentanyl inside a men's restroom at an LAX terminal, NY Post Metro reports.

Miguel Angel Tuz-Noh, 24, an LAX worker from Lennox in South Bay, and Anthony Olvera, 23, also from Lennox, were taken into custody on August 19 after allegedly attempting to move fentanyl intended for a Minnesota-bound flight. The two made their initial court appearances on August 21 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

A federal magistrate judge released both men on $10,000 bond each. Their arraignments are scheduled for September 17, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Investigators say they observed Tuz-Noh and Olvera attempting to exchange narcotics in the airport bathroom. When officers arrested the pair, they recovered a duffle bag containing ten brick-type packages of fentanyl, allegedly destined for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Federal authorities believe Tuz-Noh had ties to a drug trafficking organization. Both men now face charges of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, carrying a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum of life in prison.

The LAPD and the Drug Enforcement Administration are jointly investigating the trafficking scheme.

The case follows a separate incident in which two other LAX contract employees were charged with intent to distribute methamphetamine after being caught smuggling drugs in April. Those workers also face a minimum sentence of ten years and up to life in prison.

Source: NY Post Metro