A college student was arrested at LAX after security discovered her pink suitcase was filled with what federal authorities said were more than a dozen white T-shirts soaked in liquid methamphetamine.
British student Myah Saakwa-Mante had stayed in Los Angeles for two days and returned to Los Angeles International Airport on November 2 to check in for a Qantas Airlines flight. Her final destination was Brisbane, Australia.
She told federal agents she was on her way to meet her boyfriend for the first time.
After an initial security check flagged Saakwa-Mante's luggage as “potential” contraband, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents opened the suitcase and found jeans, shoes and a Louis Vuitton bag. “The officers also noticed a residue of white powder loose in the case and visible on their black gloves,” according to an affidavit summarizing the incident.
Suspicious, the officers unzipped the lining of the suitcase and found a stack of 13 white T-shirts “that were wet and appeared to be covered in a white powdery substance,” the affidavit said.
Authorities intercepted Saakwa-Mante at her gate before her flight took off, and she spoke briefly with federal officials. Saakwa-Mante, who is listed in the lawsuits as about 20 years old, confirmed to officers that she owned the suitcase and outlined the global jaunt to meet her boyfriend.
Although she admitted to purchasing the white T-shirts from Target — and had the receipts to prove it — she “claimed no knowledge” of the white powder stuck to the wet shirts, the affidavit said.
Officers field tested the substance on the T-shirts and confirmed it was methamphetamine. The total amount of the drug is unclear; The officer's affidavit includes an estimate of “several pounds” of the drug soaked into the T-shirts.
In his affidavit, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Omar Yasin opined that the methamphetamine “was originally in powder form,” then diluted with a solvent and mixed with the shirts. “Over time, the solution would evaporate in a room temperature or cold environment and then the powdered methamphetamine would separate from the shirts,” resulting in the powdery residue, the officer wrote.
Following her arrest, Saakwa-Mante was charged in U.S. District Court with unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Authorities seized two of her phones and asked a federal judge for permission to search the devices as part of their investigation, according to a criminal complaint filed Nov. 4.
On November 5, Saakwa-Mante appeared in federal court in downtown LA. It was unclear whether she had entered a plea. Her court-appointed attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Rebecca Harris, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Saakwa-Mante has been in custody since her arrest, with prosecutors arguing there was “a serious risk” she could flee the country. Her attorney has requested her release before trial, and a hearing on the request is scheduled for Tuesday.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
