A Russian woman, Svetlana Dali, has been indicted on charges of stowing away on a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris. Dali, 57, was found aboard the aircraft without a boarding pass and taken into custody upon the plane's arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport. The incident highlights a series of recent security breaches at airports, as reported by both CBS New York and ABC7 NY.
According to ABC7 NY, Dali was indicted by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn and is facing a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Her initial arrest followed the discovery aboard the Nov. 26 Delta flight. Following her release on bail, Dali was arrested again on Dec. 16 in Buffalo for allegedly attempting to enter Canada after severing a GPS monitoring device. Currently, she is held at the federal Brooklyn Detention Center.
CBS New York further reported that after being returned to the United States, Dali admitted in an FBI interview to intentionally evading security and Delta employees. The grand jury returned the indictment after reviewing the evidence of her alleged attempt to bypass airport security and board the international flight illicitly.
Security concerns have been raised as several stowaway incidents have been reported nationwide. In addition to Dali's case, another individual was similarly apprehended on a different flight within the same timeframe. The problem has been exacerbated due to a shortage of air traffic controllers and outdated technology, as mentioned by ABC7 NY. Dali is scheduled to appear back in court tomorrow as the judicial process continues.
