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Former TSA Officers To Plead Guilty To Smuggling Drug-Laden Luggage Through LAX For Cash

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Two former TSA officers who worked at Los Angeles International Airport have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to smuggle narcotics-laden luggage through security checkpoints.

Former TSA employees Dianna Perez, 28, of Inglewood, and Randy Littlefield, 29, of Paramount, will plead guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for clearing the bags through security, according to Department of Justice officials.

Perez was terminated as a TSA employee in October. Littlefield resigned during the same month.

According to court documents, the conspiracy began in November 2010, when 24-year-old Millage Peaks of Los Angeles offered to pay Perez $500 for each bag containing marijuana that she cleared through airport security.

Peaks is the son of former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Millage Peaks.

Federal prosecutors say Perez instructed drug couriers on how to pack the drugs so it would not trigger alarms on TSA's explosive detection system, personally screen the bags or manually screen the bag herself, then clear it.

Littlefield allegedly "cleared" bags on at least two occasions in exchange for $200 to be paid by Perez.

Perez, Littlefield and Peaks have all been charged and have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges filed Tuesday morning in United States District Court. Two more defendants – 24-year-old Charles Hicks, AKA "Smoke," of Culver City, and 25-year-old Andrew Russel Welter, AKA "Drew," of Fontana – have also agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in plea agreements filed July 2.

All five defendants are scheduled to make their first appearance in federal court on Aug. 14.

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