By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large

We’d like to think that, by now, there is some improvement in the quality of the airport screeners we all encounter when traveling, but it appears there’s still a long way to go.

On Friday, three screeners at San Francisco International Airport were arrested on charges related to defrauding the government and cocaine smuggling. The individuals, who work for a private security company contracted by the TSA to provide additional screening assistance at the San Francisco airport, are alleged to have accepted money in exchange for allowing passengers to smuggle cocaine through the security checkpoints. Two of the individuals charged appeared to be in supervisory positions with the private firm, Covenant Aviation Security.

According to undercover DEA and TSA agents, the defendants each allowed the narcotics to pass through the security checkpoints after verifying that it was contained in passengers’ bags through the X-ray screening device. Two of the defendants are currently free on $50,000 bond each, while the third is scheduled for a bail hearing Monday.