Eight million dollars in drug money was allegedly smuggled past the TSA onto aircraft and out of the nation by four flight attendants.
According to federal authorities, the four flight attendants from New York utilized their prestigious positions to smuggle millions of dollars’ worth of drug money into the Dominican Republic while they were on duty.
“This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and has illuminated methods that narcotics traffickers are utilizing,” federal official stated.
According to the FBI indictment, the flight crew members—at least two of whom are employed by Delta Airlines—smuggled $8 million in total through JFK Airport’s “known crewmember security lanes,” evading TSA inspection.
The accusation describes it as “an international narcotics trafficking, and money laundering operation involved in trafficking fentanyl by using flight attendants at major airlines to smuggle bulk quantities of cash.”
According to investigators, one of the ring members enlisted the flight attendants and, upon being apprehended, turned against them, ultimately entangling them in a sting operation while federal agents observed.
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As a result of an internal assessment, Delta announced on Wednesday that it had suspended two employees.
The airline asserts that it “has cooperated fully with law enforcement in this investigation and will continue to do so.”
Three airlines operate flights from New York to the Dominican Republic; the whereabouts of the other two suspects are unknown. Delta is one of them.
They are all accused of felonies and might spend the next ten years in federal prison.
