A Northridge man is being indicted for allegedly checking in two suitcases at LAX that contained clothing caked in methamphetamine, including a cow onesie pajama.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, 31-year-old Raj Matharu checked in a pink and a gray suitcase at LAX as he was on his way to board a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia on Nov. 6.
After the first X-ray inspection of the suitcase, screening officers noticed some irregularities and decided to inspect them a second time.
“Upon opening the suitcases, law enforcement found the suitcases contained more than a dozen white or light-colored clothing items that were dried stiff and covered in a white residue,” the release stated.
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Law enforcement officials tested the white residue, which came back positive as methamphetamine and they then extracted more than one kilogram of the residue from the clothing.
Officers intercepted Matharu on the jet bridge to his flight to Australia, and he was later arrested.
“Drug dealers are continually inventing creative ways of smuggling dangerous narcotics in pursuit of illicit profit – as alleged in the facts of this case,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “In the process, they are poisoning communities throughout the world. Law enforcement is committed to fighting drug trafficking, knowing that every seizure saves lives.”
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Matharu is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 2 in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles. He is free on a $10,000 bond.
If he is convicted, Matharu would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating this incident along with the United States Customs and Border Protection.
