Authorities Arrest 3 in Opium Operation
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A man was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport for allegedly smuggling opium-soaked tablecloths into the country from Thailand, authorities said.
Michael S. James of Minneapolis was arrested April 18 with 90 of the tablecloths sealed in plastic bags in his luggage, according to court records and investigators.
The opium was bound for the Minneapolis area, where it would have been processed to produce more than 9 pounds of heroin worth about $5 million, police said.
Two other men, Vong Her of St. Paul, Minn.; and Fai Yang of Eau Claire, Wis.; were arrested after meeting James at the airport. They allegedly paid James and gave him a free plane ticket to fly overseas and go back to Minneapolis with the tablecloths, according to criminal complaints.
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