Seven thieving “ramp rats” — JFK Airport baggage handlers working for a company hired by El Al Airlines — have been busted for stealing thousands of dollars worth of bling and electronics from travelers’ luggage, authorities said.
“When air travelers check their luggage with an airline, there is an implicit trust that their bags and their contents will meet them at their destination. It is always disheartening as a traveler to find that trust to be broken,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
The probe into the sticky-fingered suspects’ activities began after “numerous customer complaints about missing items” and uncovered a series of thefts between April 1 through Wednesday, the DA said.
El Al Airlines, which flies to and from Israel through JFK Airport, took the unusual step of installing hidden security cameras inside their Boeing 747 jet cargo holds, a source explained.
PAPD detectives were able to confront seven defendants, who allegedly admitted their role in the thefts and recovered valuable merchandise from many of them, including the following:
* A $5,000 Seiko watch recovered in one suspect’s home.
* An iPad mini, two iPhones an iPad, three gold rings, a gold chain with a pendant and a pair of silver earnings, from the home of another defendant
* An iPhone, two Canon Powershot cameras, a Sony Cybershot, a Nikon Coolpix, a Sony Playstation and a Cartier watch from a third defendant.
The men who were busted include Tristan Bredwood, 22, of Saint Albans; Udhoo Doodnauth, 27, of Richmond Hill; and Julio Salas, 44, of Corona, all in Queens; Dashawn, Schooler, 25, of Wyndanch, in Suffolk; Oshaine Christie, 22, of Rosedale; Romaine Smith, 25, and Nkosi Cunningham, 24, both of Brooklyn.
They were charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property at their arraignment Thursday night in Queens Criminal Court.