A man is suing Caribbean Airlines alleging the carrier allowed someone to steal his suitcase, break into it, insert Cocaine and then allow him to take the suitcase from the baggage carousel once it arrived in New York City. Simeon Wilson, 50, filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court of New York in late September seeking damages following the October 2018 flight from Cheddi Jagan airport to New York JFK.
Wilson flew with Caribbean Airlines to Guyana to celebrate his fathers 85th birthday but on his return to New York a week later he ended up being arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Up until this point, Wilson had never been arrested and hadn’t even received a traffic ticket according to the lawsuit.
He had handed over his zipped up and secured luggage to Caribbean Airlines on arrival at the airport in Guyana but as he went to leave baggage reclaim in New York he was pulled to one side by CBP officers.
The officers discovered two plastic bags containing 2,000 grams of Cocaine in the suitcase.
The only visible difference to the suitcase on the outside was a necktie that had been tied to the handle. Wilson says he hadn’t noticed the necktie until being stopped because he was still “groggy” from the overnight flight.
Handcuffed by the CBP officers, Wilson was left “humiliated” and “frightened” as he was led away into custody. Forced to pay a $50,000 bond, Wilson then found himself sacked from his job of eight years, experienced depression and anxiety and suffered reputational harm in the Guyanese community of New York.
Ten weeks after charges were filed, investigators dropped the case after concluding Wilson’s luggage had been tampered with. His case, the lawsuit claims, is remarkably similar to a previous incident involving a man who’s luggage was tampered with on a flight from Guyana to New York where a brick of cocaine was found inside.
Wilson has requested a trial by jury against Caribbean Airlines alleging the carrier was negligent in failing to protect his luggage from being tampered with.
