Summary
- Four flight attendants pleaded guilty to smuggling $8 million in drug money through JFK.
- During its investigation, the Department of Homeland Security uncovered vulnerabilities in flight security.
- US prosecutor commits to stopping drug trafficking, maximum sentences can be up to five years.
The four flight attendants caught smuggling drug money through John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) have all pleaded guilty to the charges and now face significant prison sentences.
The case
Over the past eight years, four flight attendants – Emmanuel Torres, 34, Jarol Fabio, 35, Sarah Valerio Pujols, 42, of New York, and Charlie Hernandez, 42, of West New York, New Jersey – have smuggled nearly $8 million in drug money from New York’s JFK Airport to the Dominican Republic using the TSA’s Known Crewmember (KCM) lane. Two of them were employed by Delta Air Lines.
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
The flight attendants were caught thanks to a joint effort by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the New York Police Department. All four defendants were arrested on May 7.
In a statement, HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said of the arrest:
“As alleged, the defendants knowingly smuggled large amounts of illegal money related to the sale of narcotics, including fentanyl, and exploited airport security checkpoints by taking advantage of their positions of trust as flight attendants. This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and brought to light the methods of drug traffickers. Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to all airline employees: HSI New York will not tolerate attempts by employees to abuse their power to transport illegal goods. I commend the El Dorado Task Force’s Transnational Criminal Enterprise Investigations Group and our partners in the public and private sectors for recognizing the seriousness of this problem.”
In October 2021, investigators first learned of the existence of the money laundering ring. It later emerged that flight attendants on the routes in question were smuggling money out of the country for a fee.
The four were caught in an operation that used two cooperating witnesses to set up a trap for the defendants. One of the witnesses gave Hernandez $121,215 in drug money. He then split the money in half with Pujols and took the money on the next flight to the Dominican Republic.
The sentence
According to the Washington Times, Torres and Fabio each smuggled at least $1.5 million from 2015 to 2023. Hernandez and Pujols smuggled about $2.5 million and $1.5 million, respectively, from 2014 to 2019.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Easy flying
US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement:
“These four flight attendants abused their privileges as flight attendants to move money for drug traffickers. My office is committed to stopping the illicit flow of drug trafficking proceeds in all its forms. These guilty pleas demonstrate that the power of law enforcement is not limitless.”
The flight attendants were each charged with one count of illicit money transfer and one count of entering an airport or aircraft in violation of security regulations. These cases carry maximum sentences of five and ten years respectively. Pujols is also charged with one count of cash smuggling, which carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Sentencing is scheduled for this fall and early next year. Prosecutors will seek to set a cautionary tale for the defendants to deter future lawbreakers and to secure the maximum possible sentence.
Related
Los Angeles International Airport is said to be the hub of drug smuggling in the world
This can be seen from the statements of police officers involved in an investigation.
