Two Edmonton men face charges in connection with fraud after surveillance cameras at Edmonton International Airport (YEG) recorded the passengers allegedly retrieving their ‘lost luggage’ from the baggage carousel.
On Tuesday, September 27, 2016, a WestJet passenger arriving at YEG from Halifax notified staff that his luggage containing more than $5,000 worth of merchandise failed to arrive in Edmonton.
A similar incident occurred on Sunday, November 27, when a WestJet passenger arriving from Los Angeles declared his luggage, purportedly containing items with a value exceeding $2,000, as lost.
RCMP at the Edmonton International Airport launched separate investigations into the two claims. Utilizing surveillance camera footage, investigators determined that both of the passengers had successfully claimed their luggage and exited the terminal before returning to the counter emptyhanded to file a lost luggage claim.
As a result of the luggage claim investigation from September, 27-year-old Hussein Zeitoun of Edmonton has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000.
The investigation into November’s claim resulted in a charge of fraud under $5,000 against 63-year-old Samy Hanna of Edmonton.
Zeitoun was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday while Hanna is slated to make his first court appearance on March 23.
