MIAMI, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Fifteen baggage handlers at Miami International Airport have been arrested for taking cash to check in extra or overweight boxes, officials said.
The employees worked for Eulen America, which is contracted to check in luggage for American Airlines, and more arrests are expected, The Miami Herald reported.
Most of those arrested were charged with participating in an organized scheme to defraud, and grand theft. Airline officials said some baggage handlers, commonly referred to as skycaps, could be fired without facing charges.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Javier Prellezo said the scam could have affected weight distribution on airliners because the unreported baggage isn't weighed.
"We're not talking large scale here, but if one skycap exempts two bags, and there are multiple skycaps, you could potentially have 20 to 30 bags on a flight that (American) didn't even know it had," Prellezo said.
The investigation also found that unaccompanied bags were sent through, violating federal transportation regulations for international flights.
The arrests culminate a nine-month investigation by Miami-Dade police airport district detectives, American Airlines security, and state prosecutors, and were timed to eliminate crooked employees before the holiday travel season, the newspaper said.
UPI
