An off-duty flight attendant stands accused of trying to smuggle around 3.33 pounds of fentanyl onto a plane at San Diego International Airport last month after trying to bypass routine TSA security screening procedures by using a dedicated lane for crew members.
Terese Lee White faces a federal charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute following her arrest on October 4. White works as a flight attendant for Mesa Airlines, a regional carrier that operates flights on behalf of American Eagle and United Express.
A complaint filed in a San Diego district court alleges that White attempted to pass through an expedited TSA screening lane reserved just for crew members at San Diego Airport at around 1:25 pm on October 4, but she was randomly pulled out of the line for additional checks.
An affidavit submitted to the court says White ‘alarmed’ the x-ray arch and was then asked to stand in a more advanced detection system that can pinpoint potential ‘threats’ on the body.
It is alleged that White was hesitant to enter the so-called ‘advanced imaging technology’ machine and was physically shaking as the scan was taken. The machine highlighted a potential threat around White’s abdomen, and she was taken to a private screening room where she removed a large mass that had been wrapped around her belly.
Local law enforcement, along with special agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency and a canine response unit from the California Highway Patrol were called to the scene, at which point the complaint alleges White said the mass was a ‘mercury pack’ that a fellow flight attendant had given her to aid with weight loss.
The canine unit, however, alerted to the mass and a drug field test indicated that the substance was fentanyl.
According to the Bedrock Recovery Center, the amount of fentanyl discovered on White could have a street value of more than $226,000. White told the officers that she was flying on a non-revenue ticket to Boston.
White was initially arrested on suspicion of breaking a state health and safety law and taken to a local detention center where she was subsequently charged with the federal crime of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
The case number is 22 MJ03661 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California.
