Airport security staff arrested for alleged drug smuggling ring
Two airport security agents working for the Transportation Security Administration have been arrested for their part in an alleged drug smuggling ring at San Francisco Airport.
TSA contractors Claudio Rene Sunux, 30, and Amanda Lopez, 27, took several pounds of methamphetamine through airport security checkpoints before passing it on to a third suspect, San Francisco resident Anibal Giovanni Ramirez, 28, the FBI say.
Investigators said Ramirez paid off the two airport workers who then carried the drugs in his hand luggage aboard flights.
Some of their operations were arranged through Facebook messages, the FBI alleges.
All three are in custody and face charges of conspiring to distribute narcotics and possession of narcotics, which carries a minimum 10 years or a life sentence and a possible fine of $10 million.
TSA contract agents Sunux and Lopez could also be jailed for an additional 15 years and pay a $25,000 fine for accepting bribes as public officials.
Ramirez could also be charged with bribing a public official.
All three are due to appear in federal court later this week.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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