7 at La Guardia Held in Shakedown Case

Seven ex-employees of an American Airlines subsidiary at La Guardia Airport were accused of taking bribes and stealing money from suspected drug traffickers, authorities said. The seven, including security personnel, skycaps and a baggage handler, were employed at screening checkpoints for American flights, U.S. Atty. Zachary Carter said. They allegedly developed a system of identifying drug traffickers likely to be carrying large amounts of cash. Tthey would pull suspects aside and demand bribes, Carter said.