Former Delta Baggage Handler Arraigned on Gunrunning Charges

A former baggage handler at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has been arraigned on federal firearms charges after prosecutors say he was part of a scheme to smuggle guns from Atlanta to New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

Eugene Harvey was formally charged with conspiring to carry dangerous weapons on an aircraft, firearms trafficking, and illegally entering an airport area to evade security and commit crimes on Feb. 18, according to the Attorney’s Office.

The charges stem from an investigation involving the NYPD, the FBI, and Delta Air Lines, which alleges Harvey used his security badge to sneak guns past airport screeners. Once he passed the checkpoints, Harvey allegedly handed the guns off to an accomplice, who would stow the weapons in his carry-on luggage and transport them to New York to be sold illegally.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Harvey and his accomplice transported 135 firearms, some already loaded, from Atlanta to New York between January and December of 2014. Harvey’s alleged scheme was ended when he was taken into custody on Dec. 20.

Harvey and his accomplice are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.