"More security questions at Montreal airport"

Sunday, June 8, 2008

More security questions at Montreal airport
Canada - CTV.ca News


Critics are calling for changes to airport security, after three people who
worked inside Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport were
arrested for an alleged cocaine-importing operation earlier this week.

Police arrested seven people in total, including the three who worked for
Entreprises Cara food services -- a company that loads meals onto outbound
planes. 

Investigators allege the three workers were also unloading cocaine, smuggled
on flights arriving from the Dominican Republic. 

Police recovered 16 kilograms in their investigation, which went back to
August 2006. 

"Once a plane arrived in Montreal the employees had the responsibility to
remove the drugs off the plane and move it out of the airport area," RCMP
Insp. Andre Lemyre charged. 

It's not the first time the food service employees have come under scrutiny
at Montreal's airport. 

Two years ago, 10 food service workers were arrested and over $5 million
worth of cocaine was seized. 

At the time, one reporter was able to walk right through Cara's front door
and gain access to the airport's restricted areas. 

"I just followed some employees in and put on a cooking uniform, and after
that I was like a tourist," said Fabrice de Pierrebourg of the Journal de
Montreal. 

The service workers are subjected to criminal background checks but critics
say that isn't enough. 

"If you're not going to search people coming to work then organized
criminals will take advantage of it and smuggle things in and out and
terrorists will take advantage of it as well," Liberal Sen. Colin Kenney
said. 

Ottawa has spent $2 billion beefing up security at Canadian airports over
the last five years. But the union representing customs agents says what it
needs are more powers to search airport workers.

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