An Australian woman was arrested at San Francisco International Airport last week after her bag was selected for a random search and security agents allegedly found more than 40 pounds of methamphetamine inside, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe.
Yasmin Van Tongeren, a resident of Queensland, Australia, has been charged with one felony count of transporting drugs for sale to a non-contiguous country and one felony count of possession of methamphetamine for sale. She also faces an enhancement for the amount of methamphetamine in her bag.
Van Tongeren was arrested Feb. 11.
“It’s called really bad luck. That’s called a bad day,” Wagstaffe said. “Think of the thousands of people who go through airports and they just decided to do yours … She’s in jail right now for that bad luck.”
Van Tongeren, 25, said that she accepted an offer from a friend of a paid vacation and $10,000 to $15,000 AUD in exchange for transporting a suitcase back to Brisbane, Australia, according to Wagstaffe. She traveled to Los Angeles, where she met with a random person and switched her black suitcase for another black suitcase with a lock, authorities say.
She then traveled to SFO to fly back to Australia and was selected for a random security search, Wagstaffe said. In her suitcase, authorities found 44 pounds of meth in 20 individually sealed bags, prosecutors said. The bag and its lining were also stuffed with coffee stained cloths.
When asked, Van Tongeren said she knew what was inside the bag and said she packed it, according to the DA’s office.
“We believe we can prove she did know, and that she had packed it,” Wagstaffe said. “When a friend – allegedly a friend – tells you, ‘You know what, I want you to take this bag or suitcase and we’re going to pay you $10,000 to just take it with you to Australia and deliver it to somebody who will be waiting for you there,’ you don’t think you’re transporting M&M’s. It’s something bigger.”
Wagstaffe added that Van Tongeren said she does not know the last name of the person she was visiting in Los Angeles.
“Kind of strange – fly from Australia to LA and you don’t know the person you’re visiting other than his first name,” he said. “Doesn’t pass the smell test.”
Van Tongeren pleaded not guilty at her arraignment last week, where a judge denied Van Tongeren bail.
She remains in custody at Maple Street Correctional Center, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office jail log. Her next court appearance is set for Thursday.
“If you’re going to transport large amounts of drugs, you better be lucky,” Wagstaffe said. “For Yasmin, it was an unlucky day.”