Eight individuals have been arrested and accused of participating in a drug trafficking ring in the Charlotte and Greensboro areas. Among the individuals arrested was a Transportation Security Administration employee. The suspects were charged by the Department of Justice on Nov. 9 and all of them will face drug conspiracy charges.
According to the Department of Justice, the TSA officer, who is employed at the Charlotte Douglas Airport, was the ringleader of the drug trafficking network. They say that he used his position as a TSA officer to help distribute drugs through airports. According to an affidavit, the man was able to use his status as a TSA officer to travel with drugs unsuspected.
The accused individuals included eight people ranging from the ages of 29 and 58. Authorities say that there is one more person, a 48-year-old suspect, who has not been located and continues to remain at large.
Police say that the alleged drug trafficking ring transported marijuana, cocaine and other narcotics in the Greensboro and Charlotte areas. During their arrests, law enforcement officials say they seized over $150,000 cash, eight firearms and 2 kilograms of cocaine.
The TSA released a statement after the arrest saying that it refuses to tolerate immoral, unethical or illegal conduct by its employees. The organization said that it investigates any such conduct whenever it is alleged.
North Carolina residents who have been accused of drug trafficking will have the right to defend themselves against the allegations. Just because an individual is arrested and his or her name is listed in a news article does not mean that he or she is by any means guilty of a crime, nor will the state or federal court system see them as guilty until, and only if, the individual is proved to be so beyond a reasonable doubt in court.