A Global Entry member bogeyed his trusted traveler privilege and scored a $500 Zero Tolerance penalty after a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) canine alerted to his golf bag on January 18 at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
The man, who was not criminally charged, returned on a flight from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. CBP narcotics detector dog Pike alerted to the man’s golf bag after it was offloaded from the airplane. Officers followed the bag to the baggage return belt and stopped the man after he retrieved it.
Officers discovered a grinder with marijuana residue and a CBD pen in the man’s golf bag. The man was a Global Entry member and officers revoked his trusted traveler status. Global Entry allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Any violation of the program’s terms and conditions will result in the appropriate enforcement action and termination of the traveler’s membership privileges.
“Customs and Border Protection bestows a certain trust upon Global Entry members that they will comply with all U.S. laws, and in return we expedite their international arrivals inspection,” said Keith Fleming, Acting Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “So it is essential, in order to protect the integrity of trusted traveler programs, that violators face severe consequences, including losing their trusted traveler privileges and potentially facing criminal charges.”
Though some states have decriminalized marijuana possession or use, importation of illicit narcotics remains illegal according to federal law.
