Left Holding the Bag: Woman Charged with Drug Trafficking After Companion Flees

Ceestra Burgess claims innocence after being left with 11 kilograms of marijuana in a suitcase packed by her male companion, who vanished before she could even secure a taxi

ST. CROIX — A woman is facing federal drug trafficking charges after an airport luggage inspection uncovered pounds of marijuana wrapped up in her suitcase. According to court documents, last Friday, Customs and Border Protection officials at the Henry E. Rohlsen airport were conducting x-ray inspections of checked luggage coming off a Spirit Airlines flight from Fort Lauderdale. Agents detected “anomalies” within one of the bags, which bore tags with the name Ceestra Burgess. A CBP drug-sniffing dog also alerted on the luggage, after which the bag was placed back on the baggage claim carousel while officers waited to see who would pick it up.

When Burgess lifted the bag off the carousel, she was escorted into the secondary screening area for a more thorough inspection. The luggage was opened, and agents found individual parcels wrapped in Christmas gift paper. The parcels were inside vacuum sealed bags. Once opened, they were found to contain a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana. In total, officers found 11.3 kilograms of the substance.