(Dominican Republic): Several military busted in Las Americas Airport luggage theft ring
Thursday, 20 Aug 2009
Source: Dominican Today
Date: 20/8/2009
Description: Several military busted in Las Americas Airport luggage theft ring
Several military busted in Las Americas Airport luggage theft ring
SANTO DOMINGO.- Military from different branches assigned to the Las Americas International Airport are part of a ring which pillages the luggage of arriving passengers, admitted one the agents arrested in the case.
During interrogations after his arrest together with a civilian, Drugs Control agent Melvin Figueroa, stationed in Las Americas, confessed to stealing a laptop and other belongings from luggage.
Among the military Figueroa identified as being part of the ring are the lieutenants Paulino Pinales Sanchez and Javier Novas, of the Police antinarcotics unit, and Dominican Air Force sergeant William Moreno Báez.
The scandal broke when newspaper El Dia uncovered the frequent theft from baggage, especially at Las Americas, where the most recent case was an Iberia flight from Madrid on Saturday, August 8, when the ring diverted a luggage container, and the passengers were told it had been left in that country, but would be delivered to them the following day.
During that time the thieves sacked all the suitcases and took them
to an airport warehouse, a move detected after a group of that flight’s
passengers agreed to denounce it publicly.