Couple Busted with Over 66 Pounds of Pot at Houston Airport

Last month, a man was able to fly from Sacramento to Austin with 43 pounds of weed in his luggage. The government shutdown was still going on, and it appears that the TSA agents in Sacramento were taking it especially hard. We now know of at least one other case in which people were able to fly from there to Texas with big ol' bags of whacky tobaccy.

KPRC-TV reports that 29-year-old Osama Fayyaz and 28-year-old Naureen Nooralla Gheewalla-Fayyaz of Richmond checked seven bags in Sacramento on January 14 - one of which looked suspicious to a TSA agent. That agent reported their suspicion that the bag contained weed to a Sacramento deputy, who called ahead to Houston.

When the couple arrived in H-town, police were waiting at the gate. When Osama reached for one of the bags on the carousel, police approached and asked if it was his. He denied that it was, but when they asked Naureen, she reportedly said yes, the bag was theirs.

The pair refused to allow officers to search the bags. The reason became clear when they obtained a warrant and found bags of weed inside the luggage.

The Houston Chronicle reports that both suspects bonded out of jail days after their arrest. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The Chronicle also reports it's not their first time being in trouble for marijuana possession. Both were arrested during a 2017 traffic stop in Beaumont, during which police found 18 pounds of weed in luggage in their vehicle.

Look, whatever your feelings about weed, it's still not legal on the State of Texas, and flying or driving around with it isn't a smart move. Be smart, guys.