The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is investigating an employee who was charged on Tuesday for helping a drug smuggler pass through security at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
Behavioral detection officer Minnetta Walker was a nine-year TSA employee trained to detect and analyze human behavior. The role gave Walker unrestricted access to the airport and its security stations.
Walker is accused of using her access to allow accused drug dealer Derek Frank to pass through security using an alias and moving him away from security lines.
According to investigators, Walker escorted Frank and others away from TSA security lines and through airport gates, so that they would not be inspected. She is also accused to alerting select travelers about undercover law enforcement.
Walker was discovered by chance by local investigators monitoring suspected drug dealers. The year-long investigation involved not only Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police but also federal investigators.
Walker has been suspended from her job and has pled not guilty to the charges of conspiring to defraud the United States and evading security requirements. If convicted, Walker could face up to five years in prison.
Also charged on Tuesday was alleged drug dealer Derek Frank. Authorities say that Frank traveled from Buffalo to Arizona to purchase marijuana.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of running a continuing criminal enterprise. Frank could face 20 years to life in prison if convicted of these charges.
By Adriana Padilla for PeterGreenberg.com.
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