Related Federal Cases
Smuggling Guns at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport Lands Baggage Handler Behind Bars
ATLANTA, Georgia – In a shocking breach of airport security, Eugene Harvey, a baggage handler at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, has been arrested on federal charges of trafficking in firearms and entering the secure areas of the airport in violation of security requirements.
According to United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the complaint alleges that Harvey repeatedly evaded airport security with bags of firearms, some of which were loaded. He then passed the guns off to an accomplice who transported them as carry-on luggage to New York, where they were illegally sold.
J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “The FBI has dedicated significant investigative resources at our nation’s airports to not only address those special jurisdiction cases involving air travel itself, but also to provide assistance to those agencies responsible for the security of those airports and all that travel through them. This case represents a serious security breach at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson airport and the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office continues to work with its various law enforcement partners in addressing this breach and preventing future ones.”
Harvey, 31, of College Park, Ga., worked with another former Delta employee to smuggle firearms through airport-controlled security checkpoints for Delta employees, thus avoiding the screening performed for passengers by TSA. Each time, Harvey’s accomplice flew to New York with the guns, where they were illegally sold. Since January 2014, Harvey’s accomplice has trafficked approximately 129 firearms between Georgia and New York.
The federal investigation into Harvey began when the New York Police Department and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office notified the FBI that a then-unidentified individual was helping a gun-trafficker move guns illegally from Georgia into New York. Delta Air Lines worked closely with law enforcement to identify Harvey and immediately terminated him.
Eugene Harvey made his initial appearance Monday before Linda T. Walker, United States Magistrate Judge. He was arrested Saturday on federal charges of trafficking in firearms and entering the secure areas of the airport in violation of security requirements. He was released on bond.
Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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