> On June 8, 2021, cameras captured Dunn, Webb and other employees moving black trash bags out of the secure area of the airport, according to prosecutors. Later that day, Dunn and Webb were robbed at gunpoint in the SFO employee parking lot near their vehicles. The pair reported the robbery to law enforcement but did not mention marijuana to the police.
Seems like a real circus. The SFO United Staff steal majijuana from the checked bags, and they themselves are later held up at gunpoint in the parking lot and stolen from.
I'm guessing they were robbed by the people they were selling it to. They probably would have gotten away with it if they had been smart enough to not report the robbery. But I'm guessing they weren't too smart.
From an entrepreneurial standpoint, they created a 10M ARR high risk business but highly liquid business with little loans and minimal leverage. What have you accomplished?
All joking aside, I think it’s quite rude and elitist to imply something about someone’s intelligence just because of their chosen occupation. My dad had a Master’s in electrical engineering, brilliant at maths and physics, and was top of his class at university. As an immigrant he could only find jobs doing manual labor and whatnot.
The conclusion OP made is that them working as baggage handlers implies they have low intelligence. The truth is we don’t actually know the details of what happened yet. As other posters noted, reliably moving $30k worth of weed daily isn’t nothing and doesn’t seem like something you’d get just by stealing it out of random suitcases which implies there may be more here. Maybe they were stupid or maybe they were helping cartels smuggle the shit. But their job as baggage handlers tells us nothing about their intelligence.
Around the same. Don't forget where you're posting.
I didn't say it was a certainty, just a good bet. Besides working as baggage handlers, engaging extraordinarily risky behavior and then directly taking actions that led to being caught does not speak well to their decision-making capabilities.
How did they find the cannabis in the first place? Maybe I'm naive, but I'd assume that people carrying weed in their checked bags is like a 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000 type thing, and that it would be hidden. This implies that they were opening every bag and checking it them all thoroughly.
Maybe they were handling the bags before customs on international arrivals and that they were looking for certain bags that they new to be well loaded. And that they were actually closer to "receiving" than "stealing". To afford to pay an accomplice $2000 per shift, I can't see how they could be making enough unless it was something more like I described than like stealing from random bags
Indeed -- that makes a lot more sense than randomly searching bags. So it sounds like they were either working for a cartel to get the weed past customs, or they had some kind of inside knowledge of a cartel's shipments and were stealing them.
> black market marijuana can be very much cheaper compared to legal
How much cheaper are we talking? Becase seeing the recreational pricing in Seattle area (which is in another legal state), I struggle to see how one can make it significantly cheaper than what is legally offered here.
Go to Illinois and you’ll soon find out. The tax on cannabis products over there is something like 30%? The edibles I buy in WA for $17 were $25 plus a $9 tax over there.
Fair point, that definitely would hold for some states. Especially those where it got legalized fairly recently, and the whole process hasn't been smoothed out yet. Illinois looks like one of those states.
For example, pricing in CO/WA/OR is so low, it makes zero sense to me to run a black market business. Even for near top-shelf stuff from big respected brands, I can easily buy a 10-pack of 10mg THC edibles (a 100mg bag total) for $12 at many dispensaries within just a 5 min drive (and that's not on sale). I've also seen some absolutely insane deals on flower and all other sorts of products, and the regular pricing is near dirt-cheap too. Not even mentioning the quality of the product and safety controls. Transporting from those states to expensive (for now) states like IL definitely makes monetary sense, as it is basically just a market arbitrage.
Anecdotally, to support your point, I heard from a friend in IL last year that lines to even enter a dispensary were very bad. While in Seattle, I've only ever seen a line once in many years (on one of the massive holiday sale days), and it was barely 5 minutes of waiting.
> Prosecutors say the scheme dates back to at least 2020, when Dunn first approached another airline employee to join the operation, court filings say. That person later became a confidential source for law enforcement. Dunn allegedly paid the confidential source $2,000 each shift for their help, adding up to $10,000 per week.
> Law enforcement confronted two of Dunn and Webb’s unnamed accomplices in October 2022. The unnamed people were carrying vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana that weighed a total of 30 pounds, according to court filings.
Jesus christ, how much cannabis moves through SFO on a daily basis and what fraction of it did they steal!? Last I checked a decent pound of weed costs $1,000-2,000 wholesale so they were stealing at least a pound or more a shift? Something just doesn't smell right. It sounds like the unnamed people were paid $2k per shift to smuggle stuff out instead of stealing directly but smuggling 30 pounds out at a time.... maybe not.
> On June 8, 2021, cameras captured Dunn, Webb and other employees moving black trash bags out of the secure area of the airport, according to prosecutors. Later that day, Dunn and Webb were robbed at gunpoint in the SFO employee parking lot near their vehicles. The pair reported the robbery to law enforcement but did not mention marijuana to the police.
The staff managing the security lines at SFO are all contractors from a private company as SF got an exemption from the Federal Govt in 2002 to continue managing security on their own.
Also, security at SFO doesn't check for Weed. This has been an open policy of theirs for years.
Just a reminder that if you want to prevent theft from checked luggage on domestic flights in the USA, check a firearm in your luggage. TSA tracks those bags very carefully and they won't steal from them (or let anyone else do so either).
Learned this from a musician friend and have since learned it's SOP for people who have to check expensive gear (photographers etc).
That's a good trick, but if it's a real firearm, you need to pay close attention to firearm laws at your destination. You don't want to fly into NYC with a firearm that's not registered in NY state, for example, people are slapped with felony charges for this on a regular basis without having any idea they were committing a crime.
Probably because too many people have accidentally packed loaded flare guns on the plane. A loaded gun is only dangerous if someone uses it. A flare gun probably doesn't have much in terms of safeties so it has a better chance of going off and starting a fire. A single bullet isn't going to do nearly as much damage if the gun somehow went off on its own.
TSA got upset their low level employees couldn't be subsidized by stealing from bags with flare guns checked in them (which were the easiest to obtain compared to a gun)
I’m not aware of any State that all ammunition alone is illegal.
Some States do have specific laws banning possession or transport of handgun ammunition or hollow points, but none that would apply to a box of 12-gauge shells or .22 rounds.
MA and NY both require a license to possess any kind of smokeless powder firearm. MA allows black powder without a license and I am not going to guess what NY allows.
As the other comment points out, there are plenty. For example, you must be careful not to accidentally drive into New Jersey as this poor mother did awhile back:
Massachusetts and New York both require a license. Basically in locations where possession of a firearm is restricted to licensed persons the ammunition is also typically licensed.
The exception is locations where only some types of firearms require a license to possess because the ones that don't require a license usually take the same ammunition as the ones that require a license. That doesn't happen in the US AFAIK.
Maybe you could use a plastic (toy) gun. Is there some kind of penalty for declaring a firearm, and then it not being real?
Of course, if this becomes a big trend, it could cause real problems if 50% of the flying public carries a toy gun in their luggage just to prevent thefts by airport employees.
This is really bad advice and can lead to unforeseen consequences. How about leave the guns at home and put a lock on the luggage, or put the marijuana in the checked baggage?
Locks have to be TSA approved, your advice won’t add any protection to luggage.
Edit: there must be a comprehension problem. Op suggested to use a lock, TSA locks are not helpful for luggage without a firearm. Traveling with a firearm and using a non-TSA approved lock is suggested and the right approach. Never did I say use a tsa lock with a firearm.
>Locks have to be TSA approved, your advice won’t add any protection to luggage.
Allow me to repeat that to people that are unfamiliar with the TSA. Your locks on your luggage have to be approved by the TSA -so they can break into your luggage
That's generally the case, but not true here. 49 CFR § 1540.111(c)(2)(iv) requires that when firearms are transported in checked baggage, "only the passenger retains the key or combination." TSA approved locks are not allowed here because by their very design, the TSA retains a key to the locked luggage. That's why when traveling with firearms, you'll either need to wait by the bag drop for 15 minutes in case the TSA calls you to unlock your bag or you'll have your bag inspected in front of you.
Guys, don't check large amounts of weed. Just stick it in a priority mail box and mail it to yourself at your destination. Hotels accept mail in your name!
Pre-911, I developed the habit of not having checked bags in order to reduce the risk of my bags getting lost. Instead, I started just sending my luggage ahead to my destination using commercial parcel carriers.
Post-911, I maintain this habit, but the main benefit is avoiding the risk of theft or damage from having people paw through my bags.
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[ 0.33 ms ] story [ 143 ms ] threadSeems like a real circus. The SFO United Staff steal majijuana from the checked bags, and they themselves are later held up at gunpoint in the parking lot and stolen from.
All joking aside, I think it’s quite rude and elitist to imply something about someone’s intelligence just because of their chosen occupation. My dad had a Master’s in electrical engineering, brilliant at maths and physics, and was top of his class at university. As an immigrant he could only find jobs doing manual labor and whatnot.
I didn't say it was a certainty, just a good bet. Besides working as baggage handlers, engaging extraordinarily risky behavior and then directly taking actions that led to being caught does not speak well to their decision-making capabilities.
Makes me glad I never check bags..
If so, being arrested is the least of their problems.
At this very moment, my flight from Maui is headed there and I’d bet there was more smuggled on the way out of SFO than into it.
SFO to Miami would likely have higher rate than a flight to Denver.
How much cheaper are we talking? Becase seeing the recreational pricing in Seattle area (which is in another legal state), I struggle to see how one can make it significantly cheaper than what is legally offered here.
For example, pricing in CO/WA/OR is so low, it makes zero sense to me to run a black market business. Even for near top-shelf stuff from big respected brands, I can easily buy a 10-pack of 10mg THC edibles (a 100mg bag total) for $12 at many dispensaries within just a 5 min drive (and that's not on sale). I've also seen some absolutely insane deals on flower and all other sorts of products, and the regular pricing is near dirt-cheap too. Not even mentioning the quality of the product and safety controls. Transporting from those states to expensive (for now) states like IL definitely makes monetary sense, as it is basically just a market arbitrage.
Anecdotally, to support your point, I heard from a friend in IL last year that lines to even enter a dispensary were very bad. While in Seattle, I've only ever seen a line once in many years (on one of the massive holiday sale days), and it was barely 5 minutes of waiting.
> Law enforcement confronted two of Dunn and Webb’s unnamed accomplices in October 2022. The unnamed people were carrying vacuum-sealed bags of marijuana that weighed a total of 30 pounds, according to court filings.
Jesus christ, how much cannabis moves through SFO on a daily basis and what fraction of it did they steal!? Last I checked a decent pound of weed costs $1,000-2,000 wholesale so they were stealing at least a pound or more a shift? Something just doesn't smell right. It sounds like the unnamed people were paid $2k per shift to smuggle stuff out instead of stealing directly but smuggling 30 pounds out at a time.... maybe not.
> On June 8, 2021, cameras captured Dunn, Webb and other employees moving black trash bags out of the secure area of the airport, according to prosecutors. Later that day, Dunn and Webb were robbed at gunpoint in the SFO employee parking lot near their vehicles. The pair reported the robbery to law enforcement but did not mention marijuana to the police.
What!?
They didn’t pay off the TSA/SFPD guys who have all the cameras, silly.
Peanuts compared to a A380 larded with heroin.
The staff managing the security lines at SFO are all contractors from a private company as SF got an exemption from the Federal Govt in 2002 to continue managing security on their own.
Also, security at SFO doesn't check for Weed. This has been an open policy of theirs for years.
That likely explains why this operation was able to work at the scale it was.
Learned this from a musician friend and have since learned it's SOP for people who have to check expensive gear (photographers etc).
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/...
Note that this is separate from the flares themselves, which are also not allowed.
Some States do have specific laws banning possession or transport of handgun ammunition or hollow points, but none that would apply to a box of 12-gauge shells or .22 rounds.
In which US jurisdiction is possessing a firearm illegal?
https://6abc.com/shaneen-allen-new-jersey-news-philadelphia-...
Lawful gun owners in the Northeast must be extremely careful and aware of the nuances of transportation within and between these states.
The exception is locations where only some types of firearms require a license to possess because the ones that don't require a license usually take the same ammunition as the ones that require a license. That doesn't happen in the US AFAIK.
I'm particular, communications between the airline and tsa aren't all that reliable.
See for example:
https://youtu.be/l0IwVrC56tc
Of course, if this becomes a big trend, it could cause real problems if 50% of the flying public carries a toy gun in their luggage just to prevent thefts by airport employees.
Edit: there must be a comprehension problem. Op suggested to use a lock, TSA locks are not helpful for luggage without a firearm. Traveling with a firearm and using a non-TSA approved lock is suggested and the right approach. Never did I say use a tsa lock with a firearm.
Allow me to repeat that to people that are unfamiliar with the TSA. Your locks on your luggage have to be approved by the TSA -so they can break into your luggage
The TSA stuff may cut it open when they see one.
I did exactly this when checking a lot of expensive equipment.
You get your bags brought out to you at baggage claim too! Got a lot of dirty looks lol
I remember seeing one of these DefCons[0] mentioned that you can use a gun part as well. Like a buustock would do the trick.
[0]: https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2017/DEF%20CON%2017%20pre...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw
But I would probably also want a lawyer on retainer if venturing into the minefield of the Northeast USA.
Post-911, I maintain this habit, but the main benefit is avoiding the risk of theft or damage from having people paw through my bags.