Miguel Angel Tuz-Noh, 24, of Lennox, who works at LAX, and Anthony Olvera, 23, also of Lennox, are charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Both defendants were arrested last week and made their initial appearances Friday in Los Angeles federal court. A magistrate judge ordered each of them released on $10,000 bond with arraignments scheduled for Sept. 17.
According to an affidavit, law enforcement officials believe Tuz-Noh has ties to a drug trafficking organization. On Aug. 19, law enforcement observed Tuz-Noh and Olvera attempt to exchange narcotics in a men's restroom at one of the airport's terminals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors said that soon afterward, law enforcement detained both defendants and opened a duffle bag Olvera had carried. Inside the duffle bag were 10 brick-type packages containing a total of nearly 24.3 pounds of the deadly synthetic opioid, the DOJ alleges.
Law enforcement believes Olvera had agreed to fly with the fentanyl to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, court documents show.
If convicted as charged, the defendants would each face a sentence of between 10 years and life imprisonment, the DOJ said.