TSA Agents Accused Of Taking Bribes To Let Drugs Through LAX Checkpoints
![](../../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/thelonelysuitcase.jpg?w=1060)
(lorelei)
While the TSA blog loves to brag about all the weapons the agency’s screeners have taken off travelers, this news probably won’t be posted with pride on the kitchenette bulletin board at TSA HQ.
Last night and this morning, authorities arrested two current and two former screeners at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly taking bribes to not notice that travelers were secreting stashes of coke, meth and pot in their suitcases.
From the L.A. Times:
The 40-page indictment outlines five alleged smuggling incidents over a six-month period last year. In one incident, screeners schemed to allow for about eight pounds of methamphetamine to pass through security, then went to an airport restroom where he was handed $600, the second half of the payment for that delivery, according to prosecutors.
If convicted, the screeners could end up behind bars for the rest of their lives.
“While these arrests are a disappointment, TSA is committed to holding our employees to the highest standards,” a TSA rep tells the Times.
High standards that include investigating potentially dangerous hugs between grandmother and granddaughter and not knowing how to determine whether or not a 7-year-old’s crutches don’t contain weapons of mass destruction.
TSA screeners allegedly let drug-filled luggage through LAX for cash [LA Times]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.