The man with eight pounds of methamphetamine in his carry-on bag stood in the snaking security line at Los Angeles International Airport's Terminal 4, inching toward the checkpoint, when a TSAscreener approached.
But it wasn't to stop the contraband, according to prosecutors. It was to make sure it got through.
The screener, John Whitfield, allegedly told the man to get to the back of the line so he and his luggage would get to the X-ray machines when Whitfield's shift started. That way, he would be the one watching the meth show up on screen; and in exchange for $1,200, Whitfield allowed it through, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Authorities filed trafficking and bribery charges against Whitfield and three other current and former Transportation Security Administration screeners, alleging that they received thousands of dollars in cash bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye on drugs packed in suitcases.
The case represents a "significant breakdown of the screening system," U.S. Atty Andre Birotte Jr. said in a statement, adding that the accused screeners "placed greed above the nation's security needs."
David Herzog, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, said the scheme had implications beyond drug trafficking.
But it wasn't to stop the contraband, according to prosecutors. It was to make sure it got through.
The screener, John Whitfield, allegedly told the man to get to the back of the line so he and his luggage would get to the X-ray machines when Whitfield's shift started. That way, he would be the one watching the meth show up on screen; and in exchange for $1,200, Whitfield allowed it through, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Authorities filed trafficking and bribery charges against Whitfield and three other current and former Transportation Security Administration screeners, alleging that they received thousands of dollars in cash bribes in exchange for turning a blind eye on drugs packed in suitcases.
The case represents a "significant breakdown of the screening system," U.S. Atty Andre Birotte Jr. said in a statement, adding that the accused screeners "placed greed above the nation's security needs."
David Herzog, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, said the scheme had implications beyond drug trafficking.
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