A 24-year-old Portland man is facing serious drug charges after Transportation Security Administration officers said they uncovered more than 38 pounds of suspected marijuana in his checked luggage at Portland International Airport. Jihad Ibn Ibrahim Muhammad was pulled from the boarding line for a United flight to Newark and arraigned Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, after police say he was stopped before the plane left the gate.
Court documents state that Muhammad is charged with illegal import or export of marijuana items, unlawful delivery of a marijuana item and unlawful possession of marijuana by a person 21 years of age or older. According to a probable cause affidavit filed July 10, TSA officers alerted Port of Portland police at about 1:30 a.m. after a suitcase containing a large amount of suspected marijuana was flagged in the Checked Baggage Resolution Area. Investigators later determined Muhammad had checked two bags; the second suitcase was seized and also found to contain suspected marijuana.
Authorities reported recovering more than $5,000 in cash from Muhammad's backpack, along with baggage tags that matched the checked luggage. A Port of Portland Police officer also reviewed surveillance video that, according to the affidavit, showed Muhammad checking the two suitcases at the airline counter, KPTV reported.
What the charges mean
Oregon law bars importing or exporting marijuana items and specifically defines “export” to include putting marijuana into any mode of transportation for hire, such as checked luggage or parcel delivery. That statutory language is a key reason prosecutors file import or export and delivery counts in bulk-shipment cases, since penalties increase with quantity, and moving tens of pounds can push an offense into felony territory, according to the Oregon Revised Statutes.
PDX screenings show a recent pattern
This case is the latest in a run of large marijuana seizures at Portland International Airport in recent months. As documented in a report on a vacuum-sealed suitcase containing nearly 30 pounds, TSA screeners on June 30 flagged a bag with a similar high-poundage load and Port of Portland police removed a passenger from an Alaska Airlines flight, one of several hefty discoveries at PDX this spring and summer.
Next steps in the case
Muhammad, who was arraigned Monday, now moves into the prosecution phase in Multnomah County. Prosecutors are expected to review the probable cause affidavit filed July 10 and decide whether to pursue any additional charges or sentencing enhancements. Court records currently outline the existing counts and the filing date; for now, public details come from those records and accompanying police reports, according to KPTV.
