DA: Guns smuggled on planes in Atlanta an 'egregious' security breach

Atlanta (CNN) -- The breakup of a gun smuggling ring allegedly involving a current and former Delta Air Lines employee has exposed what a New York prosecutor described as an "egregious breach of security" at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said Tuesday that the investigation was "deeply troubling" -- not only for the havoc the gun running unleashed on the streets but because of the vulnerability to acts of terrorism on air travel that it revealed.

We have an egregious breach of security" at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport because airport employees "are not required to go through screening," said Thompson.

In total, 153 guns were recovered as part of a complex investigation that Thompson outlined by using charts and surveillance video during a press conference in New York.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: "This is an important wake-up call," analyst says of employee screening
• 153 guns were recovered as part of a complex undercover investigation, DA says
• Delta employees entering their parking lot and the secure area of the airport aren't screened
• Agent: After clearing security, the employee met an accomplice in a restroom with a backpack

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