Ex-TSA Officer Charged in Drug Case

Ex-TSA Officer Held On $750K Bond In Drug Case
Longtime Palm Bay Resident Accused Of Drug Dealing
WESH TV  by Dan Billow - Orlando, FL - April 9, 2009

PALM BAY, Fla. -- A Transportation Security Officer trained to stop drugs and guns from getting onto airplanes is accused of dealing in drugs and guns. He was held on $750,000 bond on Thursday and also quit his job with the TSA. Police seize money, drugs and high-powered weapons from the home of Timothy Monroe. Police said they seized a significant amount of money, drugs and high-powered weapons from his home. A police special investigations unit made a big haul at the Palm Bay home of Timothy Monroe. Officers seized piles of cash -- the profits of not only selling illegal narcotics but distributing them to other dealers, police said. "Mr. Monroe is a person that is well established in the community. He has lived here for many years. The extent of his dealings are what we would say is a mid-level dealer," an undercover officer said. Officers found enough cocaine to trigger a federal trafficking probe, in addition to bags and bags of marijuana and guns that included a shotgun and two semiautomatic guns with loads of ammunition. "He's the last point of security before people get into the air terminal," Palm Bay Police Department spokeswoman Yvonne Martinez said of Monroe's TSA position at Orlando International Airport. Police and the TSA are investigating whether any of Monroe's alleged drug activity had any connection to the airport. "What he does for a living is enough to raise concern and is something that should be looked into," Martinez said Police found several children but no adults during the raid. The TSA is conducting an investigation of its own. To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Dan Billow at dbillow@hearst.com