Hundreds of pounds of drugs were caught at CLT in just one month

CHARLOTTE — Channel 9 has covered numerous cases of people smuggling drugs, cash, and other things through Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Crime Reporter Hunter Sáenz uncovered search warrants that reveal just how much is being shipped through Charlotte in the span of a few weeks.

CLT is a busy airport, with passenger planes taking travelers to their destinations and freight planes delivering packages. But it turns out, right alongside them, could be drugs -- a lot of drugs.

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“The Charlotte area, as well as the Charlotte airport is a major hub for exploitation by transnational criminal organizations,” Cardell Morant told Sáenz.

Morant is the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Charlotte. His agents see criminals try to push drugs through Charlotte-Douglas every day, and often in sneaky ways.

In six new search warrants from October alone, investigators found 153 pounds of drugs and more than 5,700 packages of controlled substances between 10 parcels.

It’s not clear the exact type of drugs found inside, but all were positive hits by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department K-9 unit.

K-9 Cali and her handler, Det. Jonathan Cerdan, met with Sáenz while sniffing bags again on the tarmac. The packages came from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and other known narcotic source cities. Two of the freight shipments were intercepted at a freight warehouse near the airport.

Sáenz plugged in some of the tracking numbers to try and figure out exactly where they came from. What popped up was this message: “Seized by law enforcement.”

Morant says it’s an ongoing battle right in our own backyard and one that law enforcement is taking head-on with the hope that these cases lead to bigger criminals.

We’re told large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl are just some of the drugs that criminals are trying to push through the airport.

The six cases tied to the warrants are still active investigations, and it’s not clear if any arrests have been made so far.

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