A Delta Air Lines worker was arrested in possession of a backpack filled with more than $282,000 in cash which was to be handed over to a mystery passenger in an airport bathroom.
Ramp agent Jean Yves Selius was stopped at Palm Beach International Airport as he used his airport ID to bypass security checkpoints into a secure area.
The bag ‘revealed large packets of cash wrapped in clear, vacuum-sealed bundles,’ according to federal court records.
A Palm Beach police drug sniffing dog then detected trace elements of illicit drugs on the cash, the affidavit said.
Selius told investigators he had made four cash drops at the airport in the past year, and was paid up to $1,000 each time.
He said he had been approached by two men who knew he worked at the airport and was aware the money came from illegal activity.
He faces a charge of illegal money transmitting after making a first court appearance on Monday.
Authorities have called for more security checks of airport employees with access to secure areas after a number of high profile incidents.
A JetBlue flight attendant was recently arrested after fleeing a security checkpoint while trying to smuggle 68 pounds of cocaine through Los Angeles International Airport.
