Authorities announced on Wednesday that four flight attendants are facing charges in connection with an alleged scheme to smuggle drug money from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic.
According to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, Charlie Hernandez, Sarah Valerio Pujols, Emmanuel Torres, and Jarol Fabio were involved in a long-running operation to transport bulk cash earned from drug sales in the U.S. to the Dominican Republic on behalf of traffickers.
All four flight attendants were employed by major international airlines and regularly flew between the U.S. and the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors claim that they were aware they were transporting illicit funds.
The flight attendants allegedly exploited their status as "Known Crewmembers," a program that permits airline staff to bypass security checks with "personal property," to carry significant amounts of cash through security checkpoints, as stated by prosecutors.
According to an indictment, two flight attendants met with a confidential informant working with the Department of Homeland Security and were given $60,000 to transport to the Dominican Republic. The complaint alleged that the other two flight attendants received around $121,215 in drug profits from a confidential informant. These funds were then divided with another flight attendant to be taken to the Dominican Republic, as per prosecutors.
"This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and has illuminated methods that narcotics traffickers are utilizing," stated Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo.
Authorities did not specify whether there has been an increase in airline employees smuggling drugs or drug proceeds. Nevertheless, in recent times, multiple airline employees have faced charges and convictions for exploiting their trusted employee status to smuggle cash and drugs through airports and on planes.
An American Airlines mechanic was convicted last year for attempting to smuggle 25 pounds of cocaine under a plane's cockpit from New York to Jamaica. Additionally, a flight attendant in Dallas pled guilty in 2022 to smuggling fentanyl taped to her stomach on a flight from Fort Worth to San Francisco.
