news Mafia bribed Montreal airport customs agent

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Mafia bribed Montreal airport customs agent



2 hours, 31 minutes ago

MONTREAL (CBC) - A former Montreal airport customs officer has been found guilty of taking bribes from a drug smuggling ring with ties to the city's Mafia.


On Wednesday, a Quebec court judge ruled that Nancy Cedeno, 34, was guilty of accepting money at the Montreal Trudeau International Airport, in exchange for providing drug dealers with confidential information on bag searching procedures.

Cedeno was one of 70 people arrested in "Opération Colisée," a 2006 police sweep that cracked down on major drug smuggling operation based at the airport and allegedly connected to reputed mob figure Nicolo Rizzuto.

Cedeno handed dealers daily security codes used by customs officials to decide which bags would be searched at the security gates.

By buying the codes from Cedeno, dealers were able to smuggle narcotics, mostly cocaine, into Canada.

Cedeno was acquitted of all other charges she faced, including conspiracy and drug trafficking.

Police tracked her bribes through wiretaps.

Cedeno was hired at the airport in 2003. Police say members of the organized crime ring running the drug smuggling operation recruited her in 2005.