A Toronto-bound flight was stopped shortly before departure from Caracas when four Iranians and an Afghan were found aboard with fake tickets and no visas, Venezuelan officials said Saturday. The captain of Air Canada Flight 075 discovered there were five extra passengers aboard his flight as it was scheduled to depart late Friday, said Luis Graterol, the head of the Simon Bolivar Maiquetia International Airport.
All those on board were forced to disembark and military officials identified the suspicious passengers, Graterol told the state-run Venezuelan News Agency.
The Iranians and the Afghan "did not have a visa to enter Canada, nor legitimate tickets," Graterol said.
The suspects will face charges "linked to the illegal trafficking of five foreigners" at the Simon Bolivar airport, the office said in a statement.