Two United Airlines passengers flying from San Francisco to Gambia encountered a significant delay in Chicago last weekend. U.S. Customs agents discovered a shocking 143 pounds of marijuana in their luggage during a layover at O’Hare International Airport.
The incident took place on November 21 when authorities intercepted the marijuana during an outbound screening of two passengers who had arrived from San Francisco and were en route to Brussels with a final destination in Gambia. The investigators seized over 84 pounds of cannabis from Sonja Nava, aged 26, and an additional 59 pounds from Babacar Njie, aged 21.
Njie and Nava had each checked two large suitcases and a small carry-on at the gate in San Francisco. When they arrived at O’Hare, federal agents conducted an outbound secondary exam, a procedure used to screen passengers leaving the United States.
Initially, Njie denied checking any luggage, but upon seeing the bags with his name tags, he admitted they belonged to him and claimed they were packed by someone else. He told investigators a complicated story about being asked to transport two suitcases of clothing from Seattle to San Francisco, where he was supposed to hand them off to an unknown individual.
After providing conflicting information, Njie eventually confessed that he was picked up at the San Francisco airport by a person known as “Skull,” who was accompanied by Nava. They allegedly went to an Airbnb where the suitcases were emptied of clothing and filled with large quantities of cannabis. Njie claimed that “Skull” had arranged his ticket to Gambia and was to purchase his return ticket after the handoff.
Nava, on the other hand, was less cooperative, often stating she couldn’t remember or redirecting investigators’ questions. The seized marijuana has been sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab for testing.
In separate court hearings, Judge Antara Rivera ordered Nava to be put on electronic monitoring, while Judge James Murphy released Njie without monitoring but required him to surrender his passport. Both individuals are facing charges of cannabis trafficking, possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis with intent to deliver, and possession of more than 5,000 grams of cannabis.
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