Pointing to a lack of tests about whether the substances were marijuana or legal hemp, a state appeals court Wednesday tossed out a drug-trafficking conviction against a man stopped at Tampa International Airport after two duffle bags were found to include packages of “green, leafy” substances.
The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal said airport police in 2022 intercepted the duffle bags after a flight from Denver. A drug-sniffing dog signaled the bags could contain drugs, and police found that each bag included 25 vacuum-sealed packages of green, leafy substances.
Pryce Campbell, who claimed the bags, was arrested and ultimately convicted on a cannabis-trafficking charge, Wednesday’s ruling said. Campbell, however, said he paid $50 apiece for the packages to a man from Oregon and thought they were hemp…