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Terminal Mixup Implicates TSA Agents In LAX Smuggling Plot

Posted by timothy on from the and-your-knees-go-on-these-yellow-dots dept.

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.

13 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. The Weakest Link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As always, the weakest link in anything security related are humans. This begs the question of whether we really need the TSA

    1. 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.

    2. Re:The Weakest Link by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This begs the question of whether we really need the TSA

      No. I'd say it answers the question quite succinctly.

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

      This begs the question

      Raises.

      Sorry. I need help.

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

      This begs the question

      Raises.

      Sorry. I need help.

      Beg for it.

  2. Of course... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The government assumes as usual that terrorists don't have money... why would they they only live in tents with sand all around.

  3. Bribery, huh? by Bieeanda · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly this indicates that travelers should be tipping their screeners more, and more often.

    1. Re:Bribery, huh? by DarkTempes · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Of course they wouldn't possibly lie to you about what you're helping them smuggle.

    2. Re:Bribery, huh? by tftp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, here's the question though, would these screeners have 'ignored' an explosive for $2,400?

      Do these screeners have a portable chemical lab kit right next to the pornoscanner? Are they trained chemists who know what to do with this lab kit to tell the difference between a drug and an explosive?

      Of course, once the screeners are paid the courier carries whatever he pleases, and nobody is going to check what it is.

      I think a TSA agent is probably more likely to turn a blink eye to cocaine than an actual threat to people's lives.

      Cocaine may be more destructive than explosives.

    3. Re:Bribery, huh? by tftp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Drugs and wars over drugs killed more people than all airplane crashes, by all causes, combined.

    4. Re:Bribery, huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Much as the recording of them accepting a bribe to let the explosive through would look very different than them performing their job duty without corruption..

      So - if the scenario goes like this:
      1) You accept bribe to permit 'cocaine' through, and the smuggler films you doing this
      2) Later on, a bomb is smuggled through while the smuggler lets you in on the fact that you were filmed.
      3) You: either report the issue and risk (perhaps reduced but still significant) prison time when the terrorists cooperatives release the video through anonymous means, or let the person through and cross your fingers.

      If you're the kind of person that accepted the bribe in the first place..
      you're probably the kind of person that would do 'b' and hope for the best..

      that's the problem with corruption - it corrupts.

  4. 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....

  5. Terrible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If it's possible to move ten pounds of cocaine through an airport, it's just as possible to move ten pounds of explosives. Hell, the TSA agents don't even need to know it's a bomb. If they think it's just drugs they probably won't care. Terrorists don't even need to get a bomb on a plane. They'd do far more damage setting it off in the airport, probably killing a larger number of people and likely resulting in air travel being grounded around the country for a few days while the powers that be try to figure out what happened and whether other airports are at risk.

    Really, the only way to make it stop is to completely leave the Middle East alone, in which case they'll probably go bother someone else or each other. The only other alternative is to make sure they know that if they bomb our airports, we'll hit them back with one hundred times as much force and an equal disregard for human life. Either way, the TSA becomes completely pointless.