El Caribe newspaper reports today on a scam at the Las Americas International Airport. Passengers arriving in the country complain they are being extorted by customs officials. They say that when they arrive at the luggage inspection desk in the customs area, customs employees are demanding money in exchange for letting them have their suitcases. The story in El Caribe says that if travelers refuse to pay between US$30 and $40, their luggage is taking to a customs depot where “exorbitant taxes” are charged. Airport authorities have said before that this practice had been “left in the past” but it appears that it has returned, says El Caribe. (19 October 2001)
