A man from California will spend the next five years behind bars after he was caught with 16 kilograms of methamphetamine at the Orlando International Airport.
Michael Jayson Scarlett, 44, will spend five years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
According to court records, Scarlett, who is from Moreno Valley, was at the Orlando International Airport on March 5, 2023 when his checked bag was searched during an interdiction operation.
Inside of Scarlett’s bag, Transportation Security Administration agents located several packages of vacuum-sealed methamphetamine.
According to a forensic chemist working on behalf of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the package was found to contain more than 16 kilograms of methamphetamine.
During their investigation, authorities determined that Scarlett allegedly brought narcotics from California to Florida on multiple occasions, receiving payment for transporting the drugs each time.
Scarlett pled guilty to the charges on August 31, 2023. As part of his sentence, he must also forfeit his cellphone for using it during the commission of the crime.