North Carolina man tries to smuggle 60 pounds of weed to Atlanta through Portland airport, court docs say

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A man headed to Atlanta was arrested after Transportation Security Administration officers found what authorities believe was about 60 pounds of marijuana in two checked suitcases at Portland International Airport, according to court documents.

Josiah Sumner was traveling June 28 when TSA officers identified a checked suitcase containing about 30 pounds, 10 ounces of a vacuum-sealed green leafy substance believed to be marijuana, documents say. Officers traced the bag to Sumner after he checked it and contacted law enforcement.

When confronted, Sumner told officers he had packed only clothing, authorities said. Investigators then showed him the suspected marijuana found inside the suitcase.

Authorities later located a second checked bag belonging to Sumner and obtained a search warrant to examine it, court documents say. During the search, officers reported finding an additional 30 pounds of suspected marijuana in the second suitcase.

In total, authorities say about 60 pounds of suspected marijuana was recovered from the two suitcases.

Sumner is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at 9 a.m.

This is the fifth major reported marijuana bust at PDX this summer.

Police say officers at Portland International Airport responded July 12 after TSA screeners flagged a checked suitcase bound for Denver that contained 53 pounds of suspected marijuana.

On July 10, a 24-year-old man was arrested after TSA officers found more than 38 pounds of marijuana in his checked luggage.

On May 7, Port of Portland police said they found 57 pounds of marijuana hidden inside superglued bags in a passenger’s checked luggage.

On May 3, police arrested a man accused of attempting to take 50 pounds of marijuana on a flight.