A new US DOT rule to ban nonrechargeable lithium battery shipments on passenger aircraft has been finalized. Cargo shipments of certain types of lithium batteries will remain banned from passenger aircraft under a final rule issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The rule amends the hazardous materials regulations by adopting a limited ban on primary, non-rechargeable lithium batteries – such as those found in cameras, laptop computers and mobile telephones – to reduce the risk of potential fire caused by electrical short circuit. This final rule also tightens standards for testing, handling, and packaging lithium batteries to reduce the likelihood of a lithium batteryrelated fire during shipment.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and agriculture specialists at Newark Liberty International Airport continue to increase their enforcement efforts to protect the American agriculture industry and our food supply, working to keep pests and diseases out of the country. From October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007, CBP officers and agriculture specialists at the ports of entry in Newark, New Jersey

have stopped 3531 smuggling attempts by people trying to sneak prohibited agricultural items into the country, including 22,914 plants items, 13,057 animal products, 29 items with soil, and 22 endangered species were seized. Penalties in the total amount $736,765 were issued against violators. Newark’s agriculture specialists K-9 Team was a primary part of the successful effort. The Agriculture K-9 Team had a proficiency rate of 95% and a seizure rate of 93%. During subsequent inspection of the seized items, CBP agriculture specialists discovered 4600 pests or plant diseases, including several that could potentially have resulted in severe infestation problems in the United States. Additionally, eight of the pests discovered were first time finds in the United States and ten were first time finds in the Port of Newark.

It was a busy month for Customs people in Newark as Customs and Border Protection officers identified a traveler making a false claim of U.S. citizenship who also had several fraudulent documents. CBP officers conducted a counterterrorist enforcement exam on Ignacio Cruz (also know as Julio Angel Torres) who arrived on a Continental flight from Santiago, Dominican Republic. Cruz, with a variety of dates of birth from 1972 to 1974, claimed to be a U.S. citizen residing in Jersey City, N.J. Upon further examination, CBP officers discovered Cruz has a prior criminal history. He was asked basic questions about his birthplace and could not answer definitively. He was questioned about his real identity and admitted not being Julio Torres. Cruz was presented to the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s office for criminal prosecution. The case was accepted. Cruz was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after his initial appearance.

US government investigators testing security systems at several airports, succeeded in smuggling deadly bomb-making equipment past heightened airport security.
On a number of occasions they got material through the scanners which could be used by terrorists to cause "severe damage" to airports. "Our tests clearly demonstrate that a terrorist group, using publicly available information and a few resources, could cause severe damage to an airplane and threaten the safety of passengers," the GAO report said. The bomb parts were all of a type available cheaply over the internet using information available to the public. The GAO report, obtained by CBS, highlighted several weaknesses in the use of technology to screen passengers and their luggage. The weaknesses identified in the investigation were not included in the published report because of the sensitivity of the information.

Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested late last month, accused of using fake security badges to work in critical areas of O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac, authorities said.
The 23 illegal workers were employed by Ideal Staffing Solutions Inc., whose corporate secretary and office manager also were arrested after an eight-month investigation that involved federal, state and Chicago authorities. The company contracted work for carriers including United Airlines, KLM and Qantas, said Elissa A. Brown, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Much of the investigation centered on the airport security badges issued by the Department of Aviation, said U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Agents found that 110 of the 134 badges issued to Ideal Staffing workers did not match the individuals who carried them, he said. The discrepancies were first noted in March by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector, Fitzgerald said. The workers arrested, 21 from Mexico and two from Guatemala, were being held in the Cook County jail. They face state criminal charges and deportation, Brown said. One cooperating employee said the firm’s managers told him to look through a box containing about 20 airport security badges and to pick one with a picture that resembled his own face. Brown, Fitzgerald and other officials declined to answer questions about how workers could use deactivated badges to enter secure areas of the airport, saying that the investigation continued and that not all details could be revealed. At a time when passengers face restrictions on how much toothpaste they can bring on board, the prospect of workers with phony IDs loading freight for United and Qantas raises profound security concerns, officials said.