Four Flight Attendants Arrested for Allegedly Smuggling $8 Million Out of the United States

Four flight attendants have been charged with conspiracy and smuggling around $8 million from the United States to the Dominican Republic between 2014 and 2023. The New York-based flight attendants used a Known Crewmember® (KCM) lane at New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to go virtually unchecked as they went through security.

Known Crewmember® (KCM) is a joint initiative between Airlines for America (A4A) and the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA). KCM makes it possible for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to positively verify the identity and employment status of crew members. These employees bypass normal TSA screenings and in this case allegedly used that advantage to transport bags of money that were obtained from illegal Fentanyl sales.

Two criminal complaints were unsealed yesterday. These name Charlie Hernandez, 42, Sarah Valerio Puljols, 42, Emmanuel Torres, 34, and Jarol Fabio, 35 as defendants with each of them allegedly smuggling between $1.5 and $2.5 million in cash over the seven-year period. A sting operation had a handler give the flight attendants cash, which was then brought to the Dominican Republic. Police then had their evidence and made arrests. The money was recovered and returned to the United States.

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge, Ivan Arvelo, said:

As alleged, the defendants knowingly smuggled large amounts of illicit money linked to the sale of narcotics, to include fentanyl, and took advantage of airport security checkpoints by using their trusted positions as flight attendants. This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and has illuminated methods that narcotics traffickers are utilizing.”

For their alleged role in the money laundering ring, the flight attendants were paid $1,000 to $2,000 from every $60,000 they smuggled out. This amounts to $133,000 to $266,000 total.

Fox Business reports that the flight attendants allegedly used the code word “lotions” to mean drug cash. Their handlers were reportedly contacted in advance for cargo on flights to the Dominican Republic and referred to the smuggling ring’s drug-dealing clients as “los tigres,” which means the tigers in Spanish. The US Sun further states that Delta Air Lines has confirmed that two of the defendants were employees of the airline. They have been suspended while an internal review is conducted. If found guilty, each of these flight attendants faces a maximum sentence of between 15 and 25 years in prison.

Anthony’s Take: This hardly seems worth throwing your life away for the amount of money these flight attendants were reportedly compensated. This is especially true when you account for the number of years that this was conducted.

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