We can’t get a Pepsi through security. Yet one California gangster had the audacity to think he could sneak up to $700,000 in meth through Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Federal investigators found the drug in the luggage of Rashad Jamal Blanchard, 47, and arrested him after his flight from Los Angeles on February 1, 2023.

In a federal courtroom in Charlotte on Friday, Blanchard was convicted to 20 years in prison, US Attorney Dena King said.

Blanchard was already on the radar US Homeland Security Investigations when agents found the drug in his luggage, according to court documents. He was a known member of the Inglewood Gangster Bloods, prosecutors said.

The Queen City Regional Border Security Task Force searched Blanchard’s four checked bags and found 46 kilograms of methamphetamine, court records show.

One kilogram of methamphetamine sells for $6,500 to $15,000, by purity, location and availability, according to Recovered.org, which helps people find resources to treat addiction.

In three of the suitcases, agents found a total of 34.6 kilograms of methamphetamine wrapped in blankets in several black vacuum-sealed packages, court records show.

Someone took Blanchard’s fourth suitcase from the airport’s baggage claim area and left with it, according to court documents. Investigators located the vehicle and recovered the suitcase, which contained 11.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

Blanchard was also sentenced to five years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

According to court documents, Blanchard’s extensive criminal record spans North Carolina, California, Florida and Virginia. He has previous convictions for car theft and bank robbery, records show.

When he was arrested in the airport drug trafficking case, Blanchard was on probation for a bank robbery conviction, King said.

He was also out on bond at the time, awaiting prosecution in California on charges of possessing nearly 4 kilograms of methamphetamine and shooting someone during a dispute, King said.

Blanchard has been in federal custody since November 2023, when he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to court records.

Carolina Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Cardell Morant and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings joined King in announcing Blanchard’s sentence.

King thanked HSI, CMPD and the Queen City Regional Border Security Task Force for investigating the case.