A San Fernando Valley man pleaded not guilty Monday to possessing two suitcases containing clothing caked in methamphetamine while preparing to board a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Australia.
Raj Matharu, 31, of Northridge entered his plea to a federal count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
According to court documents, on Nov. 6, Matharu attempted to travel from Los Angeles to Sydney. At the ticket counter, Matharu checked two luggage items — one pink suitcase and one gray suitcase.
After Matharu checked the suitcases, screening officers X-rayed them. The X-ray revealed irregularities and officers pulled the suitcases for a secondary inspection. Upon opening the suitcases, law enforcement found the suitcases contained more than a dozen white or light-colored clothing items that were dried stiff and covered in a white residue, court papers show.
Law enforcement field-tested a sample of the residue, which allegedly yielded positive results for methamphetamine. The total weight of the clothing items with the methamphetamine caked into them was roughly 71.5 pounds. Law enforcement later extracted more than two pounds of methamphetamine residue from the clothing in Matharu’s suitcases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Officers intercepted Matharu on the jet bridge to his flight to Australia, and he was later arrested.
“Drug dealers are continually inventing creative ways of smuggling dangerous narcotics in pursuit of illicit profit — as alleged in the facts of this case,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “In the process, they are poisoning communities throughout the world. Law enforcement is committed to fighting drug trafficking, knowing that every seizure saves lives.”
A trial date of Jan. 21 was tentatively set in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted, Matharu would face a sentence of between 10 years and life imprisonment, federal prosecutors said.
Elizabeth Ireland contributed to this article.
