LOS ANGELES: A Jamaican man was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly giving nearly 60 pounds of cocaine to a JetBlue flight attendant who tried to smuggle the narcotics onto a plane at LAX last March, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Gaston Brown, 39, is already serving federal prison time in Florida for illegally re-entering the country after being deported. He allegedly provided cocaine to Marsha Gay Reynolds, who pleaded guilty to a federal charge in December and is awaiting sentencing.
Brown, was charged Thursday with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
A judge issued a writ directing that Brown be brought to Los Angeles for an arraignment, which will likely be in mid-February, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Reynolds, 32, admitted trying to smuggle nearly 60 pounds of cocaine worth up to $3 million in her carry-on luggage, then fled when pulled aside for a random baggage search at LAX.
She pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13 on the felony charge, which is punishable by a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term.
“This case demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to disrupting dangerous drug trafficking networks,” said Eileen M. Decker, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.
“After making the large seizure of narcotics at LAX, investigators continued to look into this matter, which resulted in the indictment of a defendant who was trafficking a significant amount of cocaine,” she said.
If Brown is convicted of the drug trafficking charges, he would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum possible sentence of life.
