Air Canada is investigating how five suspicious people with fake tickets got on board a Toronto-bound flight on Friday.

The airline confirmed that four Iranians and an Afghan were thrown off the flight in Caracas, Venezuela, causing a five-hour delay.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said “immigration issues” caused the delay on Flight AC075.

He said Air Canada the airline is investigating the matter with Venezuelan authorities.

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The five people reportedly had fake tickets and no visas to enter Canada.

The captain made the discovery when there were five extra passengers aboard the flight.

There is a report that a member of Venezuela’s immigration office, an employee for a third party employed by Air Canada, and two workers with an airport security company face charges.

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Early reports suggest that one of the workers facing charges is a local worker employed by a third party for Air Canada, although this person was wearing an Air Canada badge and uniform.

The suspects will face charges “linked to the illegal trafficking of five foreigners” at Simon Bolivar airport, the office told the state-run Venezuelan News Agency, according to Agence France-Presse.

There is no word on whether the five people thrown off the flight are facing charges.

Simon Bolivar airport has had security issues in the past. In September, an Air France jet which departed from the airport, landed in Paris with 1.3 tonnes of cocaine.

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