Austin Airport Baggage Handler Steals Firearms From Checked Bags

posted on March 6, 2017
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If you’ve ever worried about what might happen to your firearm when you check it in your baggage before leaving on a trip, that concern might not be unfounded.

According to a Friday report on Fox News, a former baggage handler at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has been arrested for stealing multiple handguns from checked luggage, then trading the guns for marijuana.

The complaint alleges that Ja’Quan Johnson stole numerous handguns from inside passenger bags between November 2016 and February of this year. According to Fox News, Austin police have recovered seven stolen firearms and seized illegal drugs in warranted searches, which led to the arrests of two of Johnson's alleged accomplices. 

Johnson could face up to 10 years in a federal prison for theft from an interstate shipment and for possession of each stolen firearm.

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