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Terminal Mixup Implicates TSA Agents In LAX Smuggling Plot

First time accepted submitter ian_po writes "The U.S. Attorney's office has filed indictments against 7 people, including two Transportation Security Administration Screeners and two former TSA employees, after federal agents set up several smuggling sting operations. The alleged smuggling scheme was revealed after a suspected drug courier went to Terminal 5, where his flight was departing, instead of going through the Terminal 6 checkpoint his written instructions directed him to. Court documents indicate the plan was to return to Terminal 5 through a secure tunnel after being allowed through security by the accused Screener. The courier was caught with 10 pounds of cocaine at the other checkpoint by a different TSA agent. If convicted, the four TSA employees face a minimum of 10 years in Federal prison." If ten pounds of anything can get onto a plane by the simple expedient of bribery, please explain again why adult travelers, but not children, must remove their shoes as they stand massed in an unsecured part of a typical U.S. airport.

5 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. TSA corruption?! by AngryDeuce · · Score: 5, Informative

    Who would have thought?!?!

    Seriously, though, as someone that proctored the TSA tests for years, believe me, I'm not surprised at all. Half the people I sat for the tests seemed to be under the influence of some type of narcotics, not to mention the gang tattoos and shit.

    The test itself was stellar, too, asking hard hitting questions like "Have you ever lived in a house you thought was haunted?" I wish I could say I was kidding, but I'm not.

    Remember this next time they've got their hand in your 8 year old's waistband....

  2. Why? Because by Baloroth · · Score: 4, Informative

    If ten pounds of anything can get onto a plane by the simple expedient of bribery, please explain again why adult travelers, but not children, must remove their shoes as they stand massed in an unsecured part of a typical U.S. aiport.

    Because the TSA isn't about security, it is about making people feel secure. Well, that and wasting billions of federal dollars on "security" equipment manufactured by private companies run by buddies of TSA directors and/or former TSA directors. I'm not actually sure which one is their main goal, right now.

    Kudos to the Terminal 6 guy for actually noticing the 10 pounds of cocaine. I would not want to be a TSA agent who got thrown into Federal prison. That does not sound fun, at all.

    --
    "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
  3. Re:The Weakest Link by Robert+Goatse · · Score: 5, Informative

    Since they where caught, and are being tried, apparently someone is watching them.

    Caught by the drug runner's stupidity. Dude went down the wrong line, that's how they got snagged. I wouldn't say the TSA "caught" them by their elite skills.

  4. Re:The Weakest Link by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 5, Informative

    This begs the question

    Raises.

    Sorry. I need help.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  5. Re:The Weakest Link by hawguy · · Score: 4, Informative

    no other country is 1 gram of cocaine worth 20 bucks sorry, but making it so illegal has made it extremely profitable and this, being the USA, makes it irresistible since we're all 100% entirely profit motivated

    The USA is high, but not the highest:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/27/how-much-is-cocaine_n_883853.html

    $154/g - Norway
    $129/g - Finland
    $120/g - USA
    $104/g - Greece
    $104/g - Sweden
    $99/g - Italy
    $97/g - Austria
    $97/g - Ireland
    $94/g - Denmark
    $87/g - Luxembourg