Two United Airlines passengers flying from San Francisco to Gambia experienced an unexpected delay in Chicago when U.S. Customs agents allegedly found 143 pounds of marijuana in their luggage during a layover at O’Hare last weekend.
Authorities said agents intercepted the marijuana on November 21 during an outbound screening of two passengers who arrived from San Francisco on their way to Brussels with a final destination in Gambia. Investigators allegedly seized more than 84 pounds of cannabis from luggage checked by 26-year-old Sonja Nava and another 59 pounds of pot from bags checked by 21-year-old Babacar Njie.
Officials said Njie and Nava each checked two large suitcases and each also checked a small carry-on at the gate in San Francisco. Federal agents pulled them both aside for what is known as an outbound secondary exam, a process used to screen passengers leaving the United States, when they arrived at O’Hare.
When officers asked Njie if he had checked any luggage, he allegedly said no. But when they showed him the bags bearing his name tags, he admitted they belonged to him and said someone else packed them.
In a complaint, prosecutors said Njie initially insisted he was traveling alone to attend his grandmother’s funeral in Gambia and did not know Nava. He provided an elaborate story about agreeing to carry two suitcases of clothing from Seattle to San Francisco, where he was to hand them off to their owner, whom he didn’t know.
After what investigators described as a series of contradictions, Njie allegedly recanted and said he was picked up at the San Francisco airport by a man he knew as “Skull,” who arrived with Nava already in the vehicle. Njie said they went to an Airbnb, where clothing was removed from the suitcases and large quantities of cannabis were loaded inside.
He allegedly told investigators that “Skull” purchased his airfare to Gambia and that he expected “Skull” to buy his return ticket after the handoff overseas. Even so, Njie maintained that he did not truly know Nava and that they were not really traveling together. Investigators reported finding a video on Njie’s phone recorded inside the Airbnb that showed the suitcases being packed with cannabis.
Nava, according to authorities, agreed to answer basic biographical questions but responded to most case-related inquiries by saying she could not remember or instructing investigators to ask something else, the complaint said
The seized cannabis has been sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab for testing.
At separate hearings, Judge Antara Rivera ordered Nava to be placed on electronic monitoring, while Judge James Murphy allowed Njie to be released without monitoring but required him to surrender his passport. Both are charged with 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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