The arrests are the latest in a string of drug smuggling investigations that have focused on LAX workers and airline personnel.
Two former baggage handlers at Los Angeles International Airport are in federal custody after being arrested Monday morning on suspicion of cocaine trafficking, authorities said.
Adrian Ponce, 27, and Alberto Preciado Gutierrez, 26, both from South Gate, have been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine through LAX to the East Coast, according to a federal affidavit. Ponce is accused of admitting to driving cocaine to the East Coast in trucks as well, authorities said.
Law enforcement officers last December seized roughly two pounds of cocaine from Preciado in a restroom in Terminal 3 of LAX, near Gate 34, authorities said. At the time, he was allegedly trying to pass the drugs to a courier who had a ticket for a Jet Blue flight, according to LAX police officer Michael Woodard, who is part of a task force investigating drug smuggling. Ponce, who was found nearby, was also taken into custody.
The next day, in a written statement to police, Ponce admitted to smuggling drugs through the airport with Preciado on four occasions, according to authorities. He told police he was working for a large-scale drug distributor, according to court records.
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