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How Did Suspects Smuggle 150 Lbs Of Pot From Sacramento To Boston?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Allegedly trafficking 150 pounds of pot on a plane, three California suspects are now behind bars in Boston facing felony charges.

It's one of the busiest travel times of the year but plans recently fell short for three American Airlines passengers allegedly caught smuggling marijuana from Sacramento International Airport to Logan International in Boston, packed tightly into their checked baggage.

"Here they're worried about lithium batteries and lighters, but you know they let marijuana on," said airline passenger Linda Buettner.

Rebecca King said, "Apparently they weren't thinking very clearly,"

So, how did the pot make it on the plane in the first place?

"Typically [with] TSA, if there is something suspicious, they will alert us," Sacramento County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Shaun Hampton.

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It happened Saturday morning. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office couldn't go into detail, but say deputies were alerted about the contents of the luggage and then had to figure out who it belonged to.

"I'm under the understanding that we were not able to identify these folks prior to their departure, so we, in turn, called the receiving agency at the final destination and they were advised," said Sgt. Hampton.

3,000 miles later, two women and a man — all from California — were arrested at the Boston baggage claim by Massachusetts State Police.

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"It makes you stop and think, 'what really is going on underneath that plane?' You don't know," said King.

The three suspects are now behind bars facing felony charges.

"For someone to think that they bring that much marijuana on a plane and no one is going to notice is rather strange," said Sgt. Hampton.

Law enforcement says there's no indication that the public or any passengers on the plane were ever in danger.

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