U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have seen some pretty inventive ways of smuggling drugs, but a recent bust at Los Angeles International Airport was unlike anything they've seen before.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, prosecutors have indicted 31-year-old Raj Matharu on one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine after intercepting suspicious luggage on Nov. 6. The California native was attempting to check two suitcases before boarding a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia when X-rays of the bags found "an anomaly."
Upon further inspection, law enforcement officers found "more than a dozen white or light-colored clothing items that were dried stiff and covered in a white residue," DOJ described. A test of the substance revealed it to be meth.
In total, the meth-caked clothes—which included a cow pajama onesie—weighed in at over 71 pounds. Officers later were able to remove more than one kilogram of meth residue from the clothing items.
"Drug dealers are continually inventing creative ways of smuggling dangerous narcotics in pursuit of illicit profit—as alleged in the facts of this case," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said of the bust. "In the process, they are poisoning communities throughout the world. Law enforcement is committed to fighting drug trafficking, knowing that every seizure saves lives."
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As for how the meth exactly got there, Homeland Security Investigations agent Megan Palmer shared her theory in a sworn affidavit.
"I believe in this instance the white methamphetamine was 'washed' into the white clothing and left to dry," she explained, per NBC News. "Based on my training and experience, I know that over time in a room temperature or cold environment, the solution would evaporate and then the powdered methamphetamine would separate from the shirt, forming a white residue."
Matharu is currently free on $10,000 bond. If convicted, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life.
