And You Thought Having Your Checked Bag Thrown Was Bad…
According to the Daily Mail 42 workers at Simón BolÃvar International Airport in Venezuela have been arrested since January for stealing from passenger’s luggage. And those 42 represent 24 different criminal gangs apparently and stolen luggage isn’t full extent.
“Venezuelan police have arrested more than 100 people in total for luggage crime, drug trafficking, and black market trading at the airport.”
The humorous part of the article was Venezuelan airline Conviasa declaring passenger reports of thefts  was false because they didn’t fly the Maracaibo-Maturin route. This despite you could book tickets via their website…
How Can You Prevent Luggage Theft?
There’s no infallible way to prevent your things being taken during travel, other than leaving them at home, but there are some tips to help minimize the likelihood.
- Put expensive jewelry, electronics, and other valuables in your carry-on
- Use nondescript, non-designer suitcases that won’t signal they and the contents might be valuable
- Pull off previous first-class/business class tags. I personally like seeing my old Thai Royal Silk tags on my luggage, but for non-Thai flights they’re just attracting potential attention.
- Consider TSA approved baggage locks. Anyone who has the TSA master key can open them, so any thief with a little bit of determination can still access your bag, but if you want to discourage opportunists, it’s an option.
Feel free to share your own tips in the comments!
Ive been to maracibol many times and it is standard procedure to wrap your luggage with wrap from home depot or those pay services at the airport. They steal from all the flights. Everyone I know has a story. They can not get essential goods there so they travel to the usa to buy soap, parts for cars, electronics and so on. I recenty sent coffee creamer with someone to deliver to a friend. Thats why they steal the bags.