Orlando PD Captain Disputes Account Of Incident

A report on a security breach at Orlando International Airport released by the Transportation Security Administration accuses Delta and the Orlando Police Department of failing to follow TSA procedures.

As ANN reported, on March 5, 2007 two workers for Delta subsidiary Comair conspired to smuggle a duffel bag containing 14 guns and eight pounds of marijuana to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The pair used an employee entrance to skirt airport security.

The report says Orlando Police received a tip that an airport worker was aboard Delta Flight 933 "with a weapon." Zabdiel Santiago Balaguer, a Comair employee, was removed from the plane by police, and a Delta gate agent then cleared the plane to leave the gate.

Airport and TSA officials realized the other worker, Thomas Anthony Munoz, was aboard the flight but not until the plane was halfway to its destination. He was arrested when the plane landed in San Juan.

Police did not inform the TSA of the incident until shortly after Flight 933 took off, a violation of TSA procedure, the report says. Orlando police dispute that account, however, saying police notified the TSA before Flight 933 took off and that TSA personnel were at the gate when Balaguer emerged from the plane, USA Today said.

Orlando Police Capt. Jeff O'Dell said the tip that was received was for "contraband," not guns, and therefore was not considered a terrorist threat.

Douglas Laird, an aviation security consultant, said Delta was remiss in not notifying the TSA as soon as it was notified by Orlando police. "They never should have left the gate," he said, adding that the TSA would likely have emptied the plane, screened passengers for a second time and searched the cabin, USA Today reported.

TSA chief Kip Hawley said "Delta might have failed" to follow security procedures and criticized the Orlando police for "late notification to TSA." New procedures require airports to tell the TSA whenever police are called in, he said. Delta refused comment.

Thomas Anthony Munoz and Zabdiel Santiago Balaguer were convicted on weapons and drug charges, and are currently in prison.

FMI: www.tsa.gov, www.orlandoairports.net