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$300K Worth Of Pot In Birthday Wrapping Paper Found At LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Marijuana, which was wrapped in birthday-themed gift paper, was discovered in four checked bags at Los Angeles International Airport early Wednesday morning.

KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reported that a couple of passengers booked on an AirTran flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta checked in the suitcases and then left.

$300K Worth Of Pot In Birthday Wrapping Paper Found At LAX

Nico Melendez, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration, said when the baggage was screened in Terminal 1 around 5:15 a.m., it set off some kind of alarm that required a physical inspection.

"We found about 100 pounds of marijuana that was basically gift-wrapped for a birthday party," he said.

Melendez said the pot had an estimated street value of about $300,000.

Law enforcement officers are still trying to track down the culprits.

Meantime, Melendez said someone once tried to get pot past airport security by covering it with peanut butter. And earlier this week, a woman was caught with drugs hidden under one of her breasts at Long Beach Airport.

"When we did a pat down, we found a package of something. She ended up getting arrested in Long Beach for trying to smuggle methamphetamine," he said.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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