An off-duty flight attendant pleaded guilty Friday to smuggling fentanyl on a cross-country flight after trying to use her occupation to bypass security, according to federal prosecutors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said that Terese L. White of Dallas pleaded guilty to one charge of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
Prosecutors said that White, 41, admitted in her plea agreement that she tried to fly from San Diego to Boston in October with three pounds of fentanyl taped to her abdomen.
White was off-duty when carrying out the trafficking offense, but attempted to move past security by entering the Known Crew Member queue.
She was instead redirected to the standard passenger screening process where Transportation Security Administration officers found the packages of fentanyl during the screening process.
According to the criminal complaint, White told the police that the boxes were “not what you think” and that a coworker had given her a “mercury pack” to wear for weight loss.
White admitted to using her job as a flight attendant to facilitate the offense.
She is scheduled for sentencing on March 24. The offense carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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