A former baggage handler at the Philadelphia International Airport was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his involvement in a large-scale drug organization.
From February 2010 to July 2011, James Mickens, 30, of Philadelphia used his Airport access card to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money through Philly International, in order to avoid detection by law enforcement. Mickens was working as a baggage claim handler for US Airways while smuggling the money.
Mickens made several trips to Los Angeles for the drug organization, which purchased and transported several kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of pounds of marijuana back to Philadelphia as checked luggage.
In addition to the 11-year prison term, a judge also ordered five years of supervised release and a $200 special assessment for Mickens.
The FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Philadelphia Police Department were all involved in the investigation leading to Mickens’ arrest.
