As Americans head into the busiest holiday travel season of the year, they can take comfort in the fact that TSA, CBP and DHS are assuring their fellow passengers are sufficiently groped, poked and prodded. Meanwhile unbeknownst to them hundreds of FedEx/UPS type cargo packages are placed in the belly of airplanes with little-to-no security scrutiny.
Yes, shipping companies routinely use commercial flights to get their packages from point A to B and according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources, they rarely look at the suspect cargo, many of which are inbound to America via the Middle East.
One CBP agent who spoke on anonymity for fear of workplace retaliation said, “I’ve seen hundreds of suspicious packages from the Middle East come into the country with little information or any recourse to find the original sender. They can ship any type of contraband they want with little chance of getting caught.”
The agent goes on to explain shipping on commercial planes is big business for the airlines and companies like FedEx and UPS are privileged customers. Oftentimes when cargo inspectors request an examination of a suspect package, they are told express delivery personnel have already taken the parcels in order to ensure an on-time delivery.
The conformation that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) doesn’t screen all air cargo comes from Janet Napolitano who oversees America’s security.
“Ordering 100 percent screening for air cargo is an easy thing to say, but it’s probably not the best way to go,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “Cargo is infinitely more complicated and comes in infinitely more shapes and sizes than passengers.”