Updated
Updated · KATU · Jul 3
PDX Passenger Faces 3 Felony Charges After TSA Finds 30 Pounds of Marijuana
Updated
Updated · KATU · Jul 3

PDX Passenger Faces 3 Felony Charges After TSA Finds 30 Pounds of Marijuana

3 articles · Updated · KATU · Jul 3

Summary

  • Zachariah Hillary Primus, 38, was arraigned July 2 on three Oregon felony charges after TSA found nearly 30 pounds of marijuana in his checked suitcase at Portland International Airport.
  • Court documents say the bag, tagged for Alaska Airlines Flight AS18 to New York's JFK, held a large vacuum-sealed package and smaller black bags containing marijuana buds.
  • Port of Portland police identified Primus through the luggage tag and surveillance video, then had him paged off the plane while it was still on the runway Tuesday.
  • Prosecutors said the seizure exceeded 256 ounces of usable marijuana; Primus was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court July 30.

Insights

With cannabis legal in both states, why would someone risk federal charges by flying 30 pounds of it across the country?
How does federal law at airports create a legal trap for the state-sanctioned cannabis industry?