Jaunted

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Cops Nab Phoenix Airport Baggage Thief; Is Your Missing Luggage In His House?

There are baggage thieves, like these petty fellows, and then there are compulsive baggage thieves, like the couple who were just caught after having stolen 1,000+ checked bags from the carousels at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport.

Keith King and Stacy Legg-King lived in squalor amongst towers of stolen luggage strewn about their suburban home, the ill-gotten goods pinched by Keith straight from the baggage claims of arriving flights. He was spotted three weeks ago when an airport officer noticed King parking at the airport, taking a bag from the carousel, and then putting it in his car and leaving. After this incident, the police put surveillance on him and caught him in the act again this past Monday. And that's when the operation blew wide open...

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A Drug Bust Of Bootleg Little Blue Pills Is Keeping Men Down

Drugs and airplanes hanging out together is nothing new, after all we’ve seen a lot of smuggling rings busted over the last year. Just recently officials caught up with a group that thought cocaine should get a first class seat aboard American Airlines. Well US Customs and Border Protection made another discovery, but this time the drug was a little more uplifting than the usual white powder or wacky tobacky.

Last week officials at the Miami International Airport seized over 20,000 counterfeit Viagra pills. That’s like fifty pounds of bootleg medication. It was a shipment from India that looked a little sketchy, and once they cracked it open they knew the pills were not on their way to your local Walgreens.

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A Sad Day For The Jet Set As Diane Von Furstenberg Is Robbed In Madrid

Irony! Just when we vouched for the safety of travelers in Madrid last week with our "Bad Rap Cities: Madrid" story, a high-profile woman fell victim over the weekend to the city's thieves who prey on tourists.

It all went down on yesterday evening in front of the Thyssen Museum in Madrid, when beloved fashion designer, contemporary of Andy Warhol, and legend in her own right Diane von Furstenberg twittered:

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Carnival Cruises Drops Antigua Thanks To Drunken Brawlers

Are you anxious for winter to hit so that you can embark on a Carnival Cruise to Antigua, get drunk, and get your brawl on? Too bad, since six Brooklynites already went and spoiled your fun by doing exactly that and getting arrested. Not only were they arrested for getting into a fight with a cabbie and then assaulting the plain-clothes cops who tried to break it up, but their legal issues have turned Carnival off of the island for the time being.

Carnival's ships that sail the Caribbean—the group in question was onboard the Carnival Victory—will no longer stop at Antigua for the reason that they have "a desire to incorporate a new port of call." Right, we're sure that's the only reason, and that the detainment and guilty pleas of their brawling passengers had nothing to do with it. Carnival can try to keep up appearances, but the fact is that they are embarrassed; no cruise line wants to be pegged as the one that sails with shiploads of rowdy Brooklynites looking for a fight. Possible punishments for those under arrest include 2 years in jail or a $4,000 fine each.

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UK Forger Gets Busted For Fake Train Tickets

Back in middle school, one of our friends got a scanner for his computer—it was cool at the time, we promise. The logical thing was to immediately make fake hall passes, so we totally understand what Jonathan Moore was thinking when he did something similar. Instead of wandering the hallways, this IT expert made more than £12,000 in fake train tickets. His copies were pretty good since they allowed him to travel totally free for about two years.

He would have continued on his merry way except a ticket taker with a good eye finally ruined his free ride. One day in Brighton an inspector noticed a color variation in his ticket, and then another 11 fake tickets were discovered in the plastic wallet where he kept all his contraband. So instead of getting busted for just one ride, he pretty much got busted for every ride he ever took. It didn’t help that the local police found over 70 designs for forged tickets on his computer.

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New Crackdown On Sex Tourism Targets Criminals In The Air

Sex offenders beware: You can run, but you can't hide. A new international crackdown is zeroing in on American "sex tourists" who could find law enforcement picking them up from the airport when they get home.

Operation "Twisted Traveler" was set up under the PROTECT Act of 2003, strengthening penalties for child-related crimes such as abduction and producing pornography. The act establishes an international age of consent at 16 as well as making it a crime to pay someone under 18 for sex; Americans who break the law can be tried and convicted back at home.

The first three suspects arrested under the international provision of the law were nabbed in Cambodia in February. All had served time for sex-related offenses in the U.S. before. The men have been charged with various crimes from enticing young boys with money and candy to visiting one of Phnom Penh's child brothels.

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The Cocaine Smugglers Of American Airlines Spotlight Puerto Rico's Drug Problems

They say it never snows in Puerto Rico, but there was a whole bunch of white powder hitting the fan when some crew were arrested over the weekend after their cocaine smuggling operation of over a decade was found out.

According to the AP, the workers, a "mix of baggage handlers and other members of the ground crew, were part of a ring suspected of sending at least 9,000 kilograms (19,840 pounds) of cocaine over the past decade to destinations that include Miami and Orlando, Florida, and New Jersey. Of course this just throws the spotlight onto Puerto Rico as a major stepping stone to the US for drug traffickers, what with the lack of customs since Puerto Rico is already American soil.

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American Airlines Crew Busted After Decade Of Smuggling Cocaine

You won't see it offered with in-flight meal service, but that doesn't mean your flight crew hasn't got a stash of it in the back; it's cocaine, and $20 million dollars worth of the nose candy has apparently been ferried into and out of Puerto Rico by American Airlines staff since 1999. The drug traffickers were recently arrested in a sting, with most cuffed in Puerto Rico where they would load up the suitcases stuffed with illicit substances.

While crossing international borders may be as easy as going to the drug store for flight crews, this one seems to have made it a drug store business. Along with the arrests, the police seized some $18 million dollars worth of property owned by the men, so they weren't exactly playing it cool. Still, it did take the DEA some ten years to catch them; we would have thought they'd have quit by now to live in the lap of ill-gotten luxury, but greed for more had properly caused them to hold onto their menial American Airlines jobs so long.

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Breaking: Aeromexico Flight From Cancun Hijacked

Update: 4:00pm EST: The AP reports that the passengers have safely disembarked and that Mexican security forces have boarded the plane, where the crew remains. The Mexico City airport is still open to departing and arriving flights.

It is being reported now through Mexican press and on Twitter via @BreakingNews that an Aeromexico flight from Cancun was hijacked by armed men today.

The flight has apparently just landed in Mexico City, which was it's original destination, and passengers are unloading amongst security forces. It is flight number 576, a Boeing 737. Reuters Canada reports that three Bolivian men earlier seized control of the plane and threatened to blow it up unless they were allowed to speak to President Felipe Calderon.

Stay tuned as we wait for more news on this event, hopefully in English and hopefully an official confirmation of passenger safety from Aeromexico.

Related Stories:
· Mexican Airliner Hijacked [Breaking News]
· Aeromexico No Longer Minds A Few In-Flight Cell Phone Calls [Jaunted]
· Aeromexico Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Enrique Gracia]

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The Top Five Counterfeit Shopping Districts In The World

While tourists who are free with their credit cards are a dream for cities, any metropolis with a thriving upscale shopping district will also have a black market equivalent doing just as well, if not better. Both buying and selling counterfeit goods is illegal in many countries, with recent court cases (Louis Vuitton vs. Canal Street merchants) backing up trademarks and revealing how the sale of counterfeit goods funds other illegal operations, like the New Jersey money laundering scandal of late.

We'll even admit to purchasing a fake for $15 in Rome's Piazza Navona, right out in the open, back in 2004. We haven't worn it yet, and we probably never will, seeing as how both brands and police have spent the last couple years reshuffling their legal and street teams in order to crack down on the vendors and buyers. And we want to keep you safe. If you're in a dangerous mood, then you might want to shop in these places, but after the jump, we've listed the World's Top Five Counterfeit Districts from which you should stay away.

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You'll Pray To Be Pickpocketed In London By 'Putpocket'

You know the drill: when you're traveling in a big city, take special care of your wallet and other valuables and watch out for pickpockets. We have to amend this advice now—if you're in London, you have to watch out for putpockets instead.

A putpocket is just the opposite of a pickpocket; it's someone who actually sneaks some money into your pocket or handbag. And there are a team of 20 former pickpockets now working as putpockets across London, putting between £5 and £20 ($8 - $33) into the pockets and bags of unsuspecting tourists.

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Amazon River Pirates Return For Second Raid In Two Weeks

This has not been the best summer for cruising, both on the ocean and in rivers as swine flu and pirates proliferate. It's been especially cruel to Aqua Expeditions, whose luxury riverboat M/V Aqua has fallen victim to Amazon River pirates twice in two weeks.

Around dawn this morning, the 20-some passengers onboard the Aqua were awoken by nine masked bandits wielded guns and hand grenades, who then bound passengers by their hands and feet and made off with their valuables when police arrived. Apparently the theives used bad weather and poor visibility to their advantage for the raid, overtaking two police officers who were stationed on the boat after the last ambush.

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