Racism alleged after airport strip search

OTTAWA, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A black woman in Ottawa, Canada, claims she was a victim of racial profiling at the city's airport and subjected to a fruitless strip search for drugs.

Canadian customs officials took Charmaine Archer, 42, aside Tuesday night as she returned from a four-day trip to Jamaica for her grandmother's funeral, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

She told the broadcaster a customs agent told her traces of drugs had been found on her toothbrush and there were several other red flags. They included the fact she booked her tickets at the last minute, traveled for only four days, and she had paid for half the tickets using her credit card.

She said as her four-year-old son was kept in another room, she underwent a naked body cavity examination.

"I was humiliated, I felt powerless, I felt violated, and just think it was a total overuse of power because there was absolutely no reason for them to behave that way with me," she told the CBC.

The Canada Border Services Agency denied it utilizes racial profiling and told the broadcaster it couldn't comment on the allegations because of privacy concerns.