COVINGTON, Ky. — A federal jury convicted a Cincinnati man Wednesday on charges related to smuggling drugs in his luggage on Cincinnati-bound flights.
Trontez Mahaffey, 23, and 21-year-old Tyra Nelson "were drug couriers" for a group with connections in Evansville, Indiana, and Phoenix, Arizona, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
The pair made about five trips bringing marijuana and methamphetamine in their luggage from Phoenix to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, authorities said. They were paid $1,500 each time.
Nelson pleaded guilty before the case went to trial.
Following a three-day trial and about an hour of deliberations, jurors convicted Mahaffey Wednesday on a conspiracy charge and two substantive charges of possession with intent to distribute 80 pounds of marijuana and four pounds of crystal meth.
Mahaffey's sentencing is scheduled for March 9. Nelson's is scheduled for April 4.
Both face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison due to the quantity of meth involved.
