Meth-caked clothing, including cow onesie, seized at LAX

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Northridge man was indicted Tuesday for allegedly caking clothes in meth - including a cow pajama onesie - in order to smuggle the drug from Los Angeles to Australia, authorities said.

Raj Matharu, 31, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Matharu had two suitcases filled with meth-caked clothing.

"Drug dealers are continually inventing creative ways of smuggling dangerous narcotics in pursuit of illicit profit - as alleged in the facts of this case," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada in a press release. "In the process, they are poisoning communities throughout the world. Law enforcement is committed to fighting drug trafficking, knowing that every seizure saves lives."

According to court documents, Matharu was getting ready to board a flight to Sydney on November 6. At the ticket counter, Matharu checked two luggage items, a pink suitcase and a gray one.

"The x-rays revealed irregularities and officers pulled the suitcases for a secondary inspection," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "Upon opening the suitcases, law enforcement found the suitcases contained more than a dozen white or light-colored clothing items that were dried stiff and covered in a white residue."

Officials later extracted more than a kilogram of meth residue from the clothing.

Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with the help of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

If convicted, Matharu would face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment.