LOS ANGELES — An employee of a service provider at Los Angeles International Airport and another South Bay man are facing federal drug charges after authorities say they found about 11 kilograms (24.3 pounds) of fentanyl in a duffle bag inside an airport bathroom.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Miguel Angel Tuz-Noh, 24, of Lennox, who works at LAX, and Anthony Olvera, 23, also of Lennox, were arrested Aug. 19 and charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
According to an affidavit filed with the federal criminal complaint, investigators believe Tuz-Noh has ties to a drug trafficking organization.
Authorities said they observed Tuz-Noh and Olvera attempting to exchange narcotics inside a men’s bathroom at one of LAX’s terminals on Aug. 19.
Law enforcement detained the two men shortly afterward and searched a duffle bag that Olvera had been carrying, according to the affidavit. Investigators say they found 10 brick-shaped packages containing approximately 11 kilograms of fentanyl.
Authorities believe Olvera had agreed to transport the fentanyl on a flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Both men made their initial appearances Aug. 21 in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. A federal magistrate judge ordered each man released on $10,000 bond. Their arraignments are scheduled for Sept. 17.
If convicted, both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The arrests come months after two other LAX contract workers were charged with allegedly attempting to distribute methamphetamine. Those workers were arrested in April in a separate drug-smuggling investigation and also face a potential sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in federal prison if convicted.
