The $30 million toe in the water

Whistleblowers have revealed that organized crime has infiltrated Canada's largest airport, prompting calls for sweeping reforms to address the issue. A four-part investigative series by W5 exposes corruption at Canadian airports, highlighting the dangers of insider threats.

Whistleblowers have revealed to CTV News' investigative unit W5 that organized crime has infiltrated Canada's largest airport. They are calling for sweeping reforms to address this issue, similar to the post-September 11 security reckoning.

This revelation comes as part of a four-part investigative series by W5 exposing corruption at Canadian airports. The series, titled 'Trafficked: The Airport Conspiracy,' will be aired on Saturday at 7pm on CTV and YouTube.

17 cases of switched baggage tags

Former investigators interviewed by W5 have uncovered at least 17 cases over the past year in which innocent passengers traveling to or from Canadian airports had their baggage tags switcehd onto suitcases filled with drugs.

Ulisses Botelho,a retired RCMP organized crime investigator, believes that insider corruption is central to how criminal organizations move narcotics through airports. He argues that Canada has spent decades hardening airport security against passengers while failing to confront the growing threat of insiders working behind the scenes.

Proposals for increased oversight

Botelho suggests that one of the most effective ways to reduce corruption inside airports would be to dramatically increase oversight of employees working around luggage and aircraft.

He proposes that workers in secure baggage areas should wear body cameras and be prohibited from carrying personal cellphones while on duty. Instead, he suggests communication should happen over recorded radio systems.

He also believes airport workers should face stricter screening and monitoring standards similar to those imposed on passengers.

The dangers of insider threats

Dieter Boeheim, a retired police inspector and Global Managing Partner at Sotera Group investigations firm, warns that lax regulations are allowing corrupt employees to get drugs onto Canadian planes.

He argues that the same lax regulations that are allowing corrupt employees to get drugs onto Canadian planes could result in someone smuggling explosives onto a flight.

He suggests that surveillance systems at Canadian airports need to fundamentally change, with real-time monitoring of employee behavior.

He argues that workers can access restricted areas even when they are not officially scheduled to work, and shift swapping can create confusion over who actually handled a specific aircraft.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Former investigators say the same security gaps that allow narcotics to move through airports could also be exploited by someone intent on causing mass harm.

They argue that the lack of oversight and regulation is creating a major obstacle for investigators trying to determine who may have handled narcotics removed from a flight.