Orlando police intercepted more than 200 pounds of vacuum-sealed marijuana in two separate busts at Orlando International Airport, both tied to direct domestic flights arriving from Los Angeles. In the May bust, 57.6 pounds were wrapped in blankets and stuffed with dryer sheets; in the July bust, 144.4 pounds were in suitcases with glued-shut locks.
According to FOX 35 Orlando, both shipments arrived on flights that came straight from Los Angeles International Airport, and police records indicate that smugglers are using ordinary domestic flights to move bulk marijuana into Central Florida. The New York Post reports that, per police records, the suspects attempted to bring hundreds of pounds of bulk marijuana from LAX into Central Florida.
Dryer Sheets, Blankets and a Dash to the Trash Can
In the first case, on May 7, officers found 57.6 pounds of marijuana packed inside 50 vacuum-sealed bags, wrapped in blankets and stuffed with dryer sheets in an apparent effort to mask the smell, the station's report states. Police said Alvonte Cooper took two suitcases from baggage belt 30 and immediately ripped the airline luggage tags off the handles, tossing them in the trash.
Two months later, on July 1, officers made a second seizure, this time finding 144.4 pounds of marijuana packed across five target suitcases. The locks on those suitcases, per the same account, were completely glued shut.
Two Men in Their 20s Face Felony Charges
Police say both suspects are in their 20s. Avante Garrick, 25, faces felony charges for drug trafficking and bringing marijuana into Florida, while Alvonte Cooper, 22, faces felony charges for drug trafficking, importing marijuana and using commercial travel to commit a crime, the outlet reports.
The Orlando Police Department intercepted the drugs using undercover officers and drug-sniffing K-9s, according to FOX 35's reporting. The exact mechanics of how the marijuana ended up on the flights, and who placed it there, have not been detailed in the available police records.
A Pattern Playing Out Beyond Orlando
Orlando isn't the only airport seeing this kind of traffic. At Portland International Airport, officers arrested and cited 39-year-old Janay Mateo at a United Airlines boarding gate on Aug. 31 after finding roughly 59.5 pounds of marijuana packed into 50 vacuum-sealed bags across two checked suitcases, according to KPTV. Mateo told detectives she planned to take the marijuana to Maryland to resell it, and a companion traveling with her was later stopped in Pennsylvania, where officers found approximately 65 pounds of suspected marijuana and a $62,195 receipt in his luggage.
KPTV noted that the Portland case marked the sixth marijuana bust at that airport the station had covered so far that year. Orlando International Airport has also seen other drug seizures: West Orlando News reported on November 18, 2024, that a traffic stop at the airport led officers to seize a kilogram of cocaine, cash and a Glock .40-caliber handgun modified with an Auto Sear, and that airport TAC officers made two separate baggage-claim seizures totaling 90 pounds of cannabis trafficked into MCO.
What TSA Does — and Doesn't — Screen For
Travelers sometimes assume airport security is scanning luggage for narcotics, but that's not quite how it works. The Transportation Security Administration says its officers do not search for illegal drugs; if an illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is discovered during screening, the matter gets referred to a law enforcement officer, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
That distinction helps explain why bulk marijuana shipments can still make it through airport security screening undetected for drugs specifically, even on ordinary commercial flights between major U.S. cities. With both cases involving checked luggage, the Orlando busts came down to post-arrival police work — undercover surveillance and K-9 units. At Portland, screeners discovered Mateo’s marijuana during routine baggage inspections before the luggage was loaded, while her companion was arrested through post-arrival police work.
