Officers were stunned to discover that an adorable cow onesie, packed in a kite case, was covered in methamphetamine.
Raj Matharu, 31, was detained by LAX security and Customs and Border Protection after employees noticed something suspicious on an X-ray at the TSA checkpoint.
Officials obtained Matharu’s suitcases and were alarmed by the white powder allegedly found in one of the bags.
In addition to the cow onesie, the search revealed 18 pairs of socks and “other stiff clothing” soaked in meth.
Investigators removed more than one kilogram of meth residue from clothing that weighed a total of 31.5 kilograms.
The California resident tried to fly to Sydney, Australia, with the meth-filled luggage before he was caught by officials.
Officers arrested and charged Matharu on November 6 one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Matharu is free on $10,000 bond and will be arraigned in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, California, on December 2.
Raj Matharu, 31, was detained by LAX security and Customs and Border Protection after officials allegedly found meth-covered items in his suitcases
The National Drug Intelligence Center called meth “the top drug threat in Northern California” in 2001.
The problem has only gotten worse over the years, in part because of the creative way dealers have smuggled them in and out of the US.
“Drug dealers continually devise creative ways to traffic dangerous narcotics in the pursuit of illicit profit – as alleged in the facts of this case,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said of Matharu’s meth possession and distribution charges.
“In the process, they are poisoning communities around the world. The police are committed to the fight against drug trafficking, knowing that every seizure saves lives.”
Matharu wasn’t the only alleged drug trafficker who tried to fly from California to Australia this month.
Officials were suspicious after they reportedly found a powdery substance in one of Matharu’s two suitcases
Investigators said they removed more than one pound of meth residue from clothing that weighed a total of 31.5 pounds
British university student Myah Saakwa-Mante was arrested after officials said they found 13 white meth-soaked T-shirts from Target in her suitcase at LAX on Nov. 2.
According to the complaint, the 20-year-old student tried to smuggle them into Brisbane, Australia.
The combined weight of all the shirts covered in meth was just under 30 pounds.
Saakwa-Mante cooperated with officials after they asked her about the suitcases, claiming no knowledge of the shirts.
She also claimed she was flying to Australia to visit her boyfriend who she had never met in person.
Officers seized her purse and two iPhones and charged her with illegal drug possession with intent to distribute.
Following the two cases, X users gave their honest – and disgusting – opinions on Matharu’s incident.
Aside from the cow onesie, officials found 18 pairs of socks and ‘other stiff clothing’ soaked in meth
Social media users were disgusted by Matharu’s alleged actions, but more than one person was extra curious about the onesie
“Wow, that’s a new low. Do people really think they can sneak drugs through an airport in cow pajamas? This is just ridiculous and dangerous. What were they even thinking?, wrote an X user.
Another person wrote: ‘dude really thought he could get away with carrying meth on a plane. Airport security must have laughed when they found the cow onesie.”
If convicted, Matharu faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
It is unclear if Matharu has entered a plea at this time.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the incident with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.