World news 149K views since yesterday

Canada advises luggage photos amid bag-tag switching investigation

Avery Haines reports that one traveler followed the advice, only for his photographs to initially raise suspicions after his detention in Albania.

Channel: CTV News ·

CanadaStory of November 15, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of CTV News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 148,751 views.

CTV News: The news division of CTV, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media. 2.4M subscribers and 3.4B views.

Photograph your bags at check-in, government advises travellers

What did you think?

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:33Haines says employees at Pearson transferred passengers' tags onto drug-filled luggage.
1:05W5 identified further cases involving travelers detained in Manila, Japan and Albania, Haines reports.
1:49Government advice urges luggage photographs and video, but Haines says foreign authorities can regard that documentation suspiciously.
2:19A Toronto businessman's bag photos initially raised suspicions in Albania; Haines says W5's reporting helped him secure bail.
3:02Haines describes findings used in legal proceedings in Albania and New Zealand, plus an acquittal in Toronto.

Photographing a suitcase at check-in is meant to help prove which bag belongs to its owner. But an investigation into luggage-tag switching finds that even this precaution can create complications for Canadians detained abroad.

In an interview on Canada's CTV News, W5 investigative journalist Avery Haines explains government advice urging travelers to take photographs and video of their checked luggage. The segment, titled "Photograph your bags at check-in, government advises travellers", previews the investigative special "That's NOT My Bag".

Haines says W5 uncovered vulnerabilities at Toronto Pearson Airport, the main international airport serving Toronto, where corrupt employees transferred innocent passengers' luggage tags onto bags containing drugs. The scheme, she explains, allows smugglers to send those bags to their destination under someone else's identity.

The investigation has since identified cases involving travelers detained in Manila, Japan and Albania, Haines tells anchor Marina Moore. The purpose of photographing luggage is to preserve evidence that could distinguish a passenger's actual suitcase from one carrying their tag.

Yet Haines describes a Toronto businessman detained in Albania whose photographs initially worked against him: local authorities questioned why an innocent passenger would have documented his bags. She says W5's reporting later helped him secure bail. His trial is expected to begin in early 2027, and he faces up to 15 years in prison, according to Haines.

The interview also outlines what Haines describes as the investigation's legal impact: findings being used in pending and appealed cases in Albania and New Zealand, and an acquittal in Toronto. The full special is advertised to air Sunday following the Grey Cup.

Published on Trari

Most watched today ›