Man accused of holding cocaine in pants at airport

A San Jose man accused of trying to carry more than 4 pounds of cocaine onto a flight from John Wayne Airport pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges Tuesday.

Paul Francis Smith, 22, was arrested Monday morning at the airport after security screening, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

A Transportation Security Administration screener noticed Smith’s baggy pants, Amormino said. When authorities patted Smith down, they found two packages of cocaine in his pants pockets, he said.

Smith was charged with two felonies of having narcotics for sale or transport and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Both charges were enhanced for having more than a kilo. Smith has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for April 3. He is being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

— Joseph Serna