At Miami International Airport, a young woman’s heavy baggage led to her arrest and the discovery of a large stash of marijuana intended for a transatlantic trip. Begum Mulazimoglu, a 22-year-old traveler bound for London, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after her luggage, which emitted a strong odor of marijuana, was inspected outside a Virgin Atlantic flight.
Mulazimoglu's attempt to check in two suitcases, one brown and one black, didn't go unnoticed as authorities detected the strong odor of marijuana and found them to be chock-full of vacuum-sealed marijuana bundles weighing in at over 65 pounds, reports The Miami Herald. In addition to the illicit cargo, Mulazimoglu was also traveling with Apple AirTags hidden inside the bundles and was found in possession of more than $1,000 in U.S. and British currency, though the precise breakdown of the funds varied slightly between reports which delineated $330 and 530 pounds sterling or approximately $713, according to NBC Miami.
The discovery quickly led to Mulazimoglu's arrest on a charge of illegal drug trafficking, a charge that holds weighty consequences regardless of jurisdiction. Yet, despite the gravity of the situation, reports say she has been released from jail.
During a bond court hearing, where the audacity of the criminal endeavor was laid out; the presiding judge couldn't help but react to the scale of the operation, "It looks like you're charged with illegal trafficking in 65 pounds of marijuana. Well, that would be heavy," and chuckles ensued as the judge read through the details of the arrest affidavit, according to NBC Miami. Mulazimoglu's attorney, having no prior convictions to leverage and no probable cause argument to offer against the weighty charges, saw his client's bond set at $10,000.
The incident at Miami International Airport concluded with Mulazimoglu’s release on bond.
