Airport Workers Charged After Luggage Dumped

HOUSTON -- Police in Houston have arrested five men in the thefts of more than 158 pieces of luggage from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Sixty-eight pieces of the luggage had been discovered in the trash bin of a pet store the day after Christmas. Police said it looked like the bags had been picked over, with any valuables stolen. Dozens of pieces were found at two other undisclosed locations.

The five men have been charged with engaging in organized criminal activity. They're employees of a baggage-handling contractor, which police said has been cooperating with the investigation.

FBI officials said that the Houston Police Department made the arrests based on a phoned-in tip, Houston TV station KPRC reported.

Brothers Ricardo Aguilar and Manuel Aguilar, each 23; Carlos Osorio, 24; Erick Perez, 29, and Daniel Venegas, 25, were charged with felony engaging in organized criminal activity.

Houston police said Menzies Aviation, a provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services for Terminal D at Bush Intercontinental Airport, employed them as baggage handlers.

"While the bags were at the airport, (they) were stolen in between the connecting flights. They were not stolen from the terminals," said Capt. Rick Bownds with the HPD Airport Division.

Officials said a caller revealed that some Menzies Aviation employees were seen going through baggage in a restricted area.

Police checked the records of employees who swiped their identification cards to access the area. Two of the employees who accessed the area were scheduled to be off work, KPRC reported.

Authorities said the investigation revealed that some employees hid inside a company van driven into the restricted area, avoiding swiping their identification badges.

All five men have confessed to their involvement, police said.

"It doesn't look it has a national spin to it. It is simply an organized theft ring here locally," Bownds said.

Officials said the luggage was mainly from international flights on up to nine airlines including Continental, Lufthansa, British Airways and US Airways.

Valuables were removed from some of the luggage, officials said.

Some of the luggage belonged to travelers who never went through Houston.

"We've also recovered at two different locations over 90 additional pieces of luggage," Bownds said.

Police would not elaborate where the additional bags were found, but said they are working with the airlines to reunite passengers with their lost luggage.

Officials said the investigation could net more arrests.

Venegas is the only suspect who posted bond. The other four were being held on $168,000 bond.

Menzies Aviation released a statement regarding the arrests.

"Menzies Aviation is aware that, following an incident at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, a number of our employees have been arrested by local police. At this time we are fully cooperating with the authorities and as such cannot comment in specific detail. An internal investigation is under way."