The Federal Police (PF) arrested four more people suspected of changing luggage tags at Guarulhos International Airport, in Greater São Paulo, to send drugs abroad.
According to police, the suspects arrested are three men and one woman. They are accused of having been enticed to help international drug trafficking gangs. Among those arrested, three worked in the airport’s restricted baggage area through a private company.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a group accused of international drug trafficking has been arrested by the PF using this type of strategy. Less than a year ago, in July 2023, the police also arrested 16 suspects of committing the crime at the Brazilian airport.
Also last year, we followed the case of two Brazilian women arrested in Germany after having the labels on their bags changed. Therefore, as passengers, we need to pay attention and take some extra care.
GRU Airport, the concessionaire responsible for the airport, said that “the detained employees are not part of the concessionaire staff”, but that it collaborates with the information to the police agencies.
How to protect yourself against scams
The truth is that there is no magic formula to protect yourself against scams and possible crimes, but there is always a way to try to protect yourself from criminals – or, at least, to prove that a certain bag is or is not yours.
Therefore, we have gathered recommendations from the editors of Melhores Destinos themselves, which we always put into practice on our trips.
You can read our post 7 tips on how to protect yourself against baggage exchange scams at airports and also watch the instructions in the following video to try to avoid some risks:
Read more details of the investigation that led to the arrests on the g1 journalistic website.
Do you usually take extra care with your checked bag? Share with others in the comments!
