18 Airline Workers Arrested in JFK Drug Trafficking

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,302256,00.html

18 Airline Workers Nabbed in Dominican Republic-New York Drug Trafficking Scheme

NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors say airline workers have been charged with helping drug traffickers smuggle heroin and cocaine through John F. Kennedy International Airport.

A total of 18 people are charged in the plot, including seven employees at Delta Air Lines and one at American Airlines.

Prosecutors say airport workers in the Dominican Republic concealed the drugs in luggage bound for New York. A second group of conspirators at JFK then retrieved the packages and diverted them to a safe area before the bags were inspected.

Authorities say the scheme was uncovered by U.S. customs agents.

Really makes you wonder about the true security at airports...

LOL, what a day it was too. It was obvious something was up from the minute I got to work. Both terminals resembled a police state today. Actually it explains something I've noticed for months. Every inbound from the DR (both STI & SDQ) seemed to receive extra attention from CBP. Every flight got the full works, full aircraft search, the xray truck, dog teams on the inbound bag belts, etc. I've been wondering all summer why such attention for DR flights when none of the MIA, South American inbounds, nor Mexican inbounds received such attention. Now I know. As an aside I think the numbers arrested are off in the article. While so far I only know of only 1 that we lost, when I went to DL for lunch the scuttlebutt has it they lost over a dozen. I'm sure we'll know for sure in the coming days.