Dogs have been used by police departments for decades to locate suspicious goods, especially illegal drugs. A dog at the Nashville International airport did its species proud by recently alerting police to the presence of a significant amount of marijuana. The dog’s sniffing resulted in the impoundment of the drugs and the arrest of its alleged owner.
The case
Police at the Memphis Airport said that a drug dog called their attention to two suitcases on a flight from Los Angeles to Cleveland, Ohio. Police were able to locate the owner of the two bags in the Memphis airport, and the 20-year-old woman gave permission to open the bags.
Police found ten vacuum sealed plastic bags, each filled with marijuana. In total, the two suitcases contained 85 pounds of marijuana. After the police made their discovery, the alleged owner of the suitcases changed her story and denied that she owned the bags or the drugs. Despite the denial, the suspect was arrested at the airport and booked into the Memphis Metro Jail on a felony drug charge. Bond was set at $100,000.
Further investigation
This case obviously will require more investigation. Police will need to determine if the bags indeed belonged to someone else. Also, more than one party may be involved in the delivery of drugs to the airport in Los Angeles and in picking up the drugs in Cleveland.
Meanwhile, the woman who was arrested at the airport may benefit from consulting an experienced criminal defense attorney. A capable lawyer can evaluate the evidence, suggest possible legal defense strategies, and, when appropriate, assist in negotiating an acceptable plea agreement.