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Flight Attendant On Run After Authorities Say They Found Cocaine In Her Luggage At LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A flight attendant is on the run after 70 pounds of cocaine was found in her carry-on bag at Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

A Transportation Security Administration officer discovered the contraband Friday night in Terminal 4 while screening the bag, according to a TSA official.

The drugs were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which said the airline employee was given a random screening. Crew members are not typically searched.

An American Airlines official said the discovery was made in their facilities, but the flight attendant was not an American Airlines employee.

TSA agents asked the airline worker to step aside for a random security screening. That was when she bolted and left her luggage behind, according to DEA Special Agent Timothy Massino.

"We have her identified. We know who she is, and we're looking for her," Massino said.

American Airlines said a security video shows the woman, wearing a flight attendant uniform, running the wrong way down an up escalator. She continued running outside toward Terminal 5 and got away.

A source told CBS2/KCAL9's Louisa Hodge that the woman works for JetBlue Airways. But the company has not responded to her calls or email.

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