Soldier Charged With Smuggling

Text, from link above.

An Army Special Forces soldier was arrested Monday for smuggling 40 kilos (90 lbs) of cocaine into the United States hidden in two backpacks aboard a military aircraft, NBC News reported on Friday.
  • Master Sgt. Daniel Gould was taken into custody by Drug Enforcement Administration agents after two military-issue “punch out” bags somehow connected to him were discovered filled with 40 kilos of cocaine on a U.S. military aircraft bound for Eglin Air Force Base.
  • NBC News reports that cocaine was identified after another service member “found the drugs on the plane while it was on the ground in Colombia and reported the discovery.”
  • Gould, assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin, was already in the United States when the drugs were discovered, according to NBC News, which reported that the Green Beret “used a proxy” to get the bags onto the aircraft.
  • “We are aware of recent allegations concerning a U.S. soldier assigned under U.S. Army Special Operations Command for reportedly attempting to smuggle narcotics from Colombia into the U.S.,” Army Special Operations Command spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt told NBC News. “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement officials concerning this matter.”
 
How did he think he would ever get this through. Leaving Manilla the dogs walked through our bags and baggage thoroughly. What is a "Proxy" on a military flight??
 
How did he think he would ever get this through. Leaving Manilla the dogs walked through our bags and baggage thoroughly. What is a "Proxy" on a military flight??

My guess is he either had aircrew or another passenger take the bag, either by design or inducement.
Back in the last century when I was hopping around the Med or up to Germany or England, if a plane wasn’t technically taking Space A pax, I’d talk to the aircrew, see if they could add me to the manifest, and get a ride to Torrejon AB to get to Madrid for the weekend, or over to NAS Sigonella for some leave time in Sicily. I expect 9/11 has tightened many things up, but military folks have been bending rules for a long time. “Hey, Buddy, I’ve got too many bags here, taking stuff back for the family, do you have room with the aircrew gear? I’ll give you $50 for your trouble if you can help me out.” An innocent and gullible aircrew member would never think this nice smiling Special Forces guy would be hauling drugs so openly. Or, it was someone who was complicit to some degree...
 
looks like he will be pressing license plates at Leavenworth for some time; play stupid games win stupid prizes.
 
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