Flight attendants accused of smuggling drug money into the Dominican Republic

Four flight attendants have been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to smuggle drug money from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic, authorities announced Wednesday.

Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York alleged in two unsealed complaints that Charlie Hernandez, Sarah Valerio Pujols, Emmanuel Torres and Jarol Fabio participated in a years-long scheme to smuggle large amounts of cash earned from selling drugs on behalf of traders. the United States to the Dominican Republic.

All four flight attendants worked for major international airlines and flew from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic and knew they were transporting drug money, according to prosecutors.

The flight attendants used their status as a “Known Crew Member,” a program that allows airline employees to pass through security checkpoints with “personal property,” to pass through security checkpoints with large amounts of cash, prosecutors said.

Two flight attendants met with a confidential informant, who had worked with the Department of Homeland Security, who gave them $60,000 to take to the Dominican Republic, the indictment said. The other two flight attendants received approximately $121,215 in drug profits from a confidential informant, the complaint said. That money, according to prosecutors, was split with another flight attendant to take to the Dominican Republic.

“This investigation has exposed critical vulnerabilities in the airline security industry and highlighted the methods used by drug traffickers,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said in a statement.

Authorities have not clarified whether there has been an increase in the number of airline employees smuggling drugs or in drug proceeds. However, in recent years, several airline employees have been charged and convicted for using their status as trusted employees to smuggle cash and drugs through airports and onto planes.

That was an American Airlines mechanic convicted last year for attempting to smuggle 25 pounds of cocaine under the cockpit of a plane from New York to Jamaica. A Dallas flight attendant pleaded guilty in 2022 to smuggling fentanyl taped to her stomach on a flight from Fort Worth to San Francisco.