More Continental workers accused of smuggling cocaine

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D888HIS01.html

Four more people, including three airline baggage handlers, were arrested Monday in a continuing investigation of cocaine smuggling at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The Continental Airlines handlers and a man who had worked as a security guard were charged with using their access to secure areas to act as lookouts while others diverted luggage containing cocaine from international flights so it could be claimed at domestic carousels, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The scheme, which involved retagging the baggage, allowed the suitcases to evade Customs inspection.

The ring laundered millions of dollars in profits by taking suitcases filled with cash out of the country, again using their positions to bypass inspection, authorities said, with conspirators traveling to Miami, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere to import the drugs and export the cash.

[American Renaissance]

1. we call it "The Beavis and Butthead Principle"

When you go cheap on ground handling, you end up with problems.

American Eagle has trouble in certain stations finding ground crew canidates who can be cleared for airside. When you pay minimum wage for what is fairly demanding work, you are going to be recruiting the dregs of society.

recently, a Mesa flight for America West was about to be boarded by pax when they found a ground handler smoking crack in the cockpit of a DASH 8.