ATLANTA (Gray News) – The United States Department of Justice ended a nationwide search program following an investigative report by Gray’s InvestigateTV+ and Atlanta News First Investigates.
The suspended search program seized untold millions in cash from airline passengers without warrants.
This unprecedented action by the DOJ is the result of the award-winning investigation, In Plane Sight which originally aired in September 2023 and led to multiple follow up reports through December 2024.
The DOJ ordered the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop searching innocent passengers at departure gates as a direct result of a video recorded by a traveler who saw the investigation and followed the legal advice reported in the series.
“Our mission at InvestigateTV+ is to uncover not only real problems, but real solutions,” said Gray’s Senior Vice President of News Strategy and Innovation Lee Zurik. “This is a prime example of how we collaborate with investigative teams at Gray stations across the country to uncover issues that affect every viewer and create significant change.”
The investigation also spurred action from Congress.
Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice, asking why the Drug Enforcement Administration was searching innocent passengers at boarding gates at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
He credited In Plane Sight with uncovering an important issue for flyers.
“I’m not sure that this change, this investigation, and this halt to potentially very problematic DEA practices would have occurred without your reporting,” Ossoff said. “You have been on this story, helping to expose what appear to be potentially serious civil rights violations.”
In Plane Sight originated with Atlanta News First Investigates, the investigative unit at Gray affiliate WANF.
The undercover investigation evolved into a multi-part series that tracked the activity of plainclothes agents at airports across the U.S. Now that activity is suspended nationwide.
“Results like these are why investigative journalism is a critical part of our culture,” said InvestigateTV+ and Atlanta News First Chief Investigator Brendan Keefe. “Gray invests in and empowers our teams to produce original, impactful content with real world results.”
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