$500k Worth Of Heroin And Meth Found On Baggage Carousel

Three airport workers have been charged with conspiring to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. through Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport on Delta Air Lines flight 364 which arrived at ATL on January 13 this year from Mexico City. Prosecutors say police investigators tracked the airline workers after heroin and methamphetamine were found in an unclaimed bag on a carousel.

The three suspects are 35-year-old Luis Marroquin, 41-year-old Carlos Springer and 27-year-old Kelvin Rondon. It wasn't known Thursday whether they have attorneys.

The Associated Press reports that the bag was the subject of several "frantic" text messages between the three alleged conspirators before they realized it was too late. Federal agents said they were tipped off by a large orange hand-written label on the bag, which led them to Springer, a Delta baggage worker supervisor. He had sent the text messages to Marroquin saying he could not locate the "ALA bag". "ALA" is a term used in the industry for a baggage handler.

Rondon was charged after he admitted to being recruited as a lookout by Marroquin and offered $500 to be sure the bag was on the flight. When the bag turned up missing, he texted Marroquin and left the airport.

If convicted, the three face up to life in prison and as much as $10 million in fines.

FMI: www.doj.gov