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Airport Drug Smuggling Ring Busted
Aired November 25, 2003 - 14:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: We're into another hour of LIVE FROM. Up first, in this segment, contraband at Kennedy. Baggage handlers carted off jail. What authorities call a drug smuggling ring at New York City international airport was broken wide open today.
CNN Deborah Feyerick checks in with details on all this.
Hello, Deborah.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.
Well, customs officials say at least 20 baggage handlers and cargo handlers at JFK Airport used their positions to bypass security and smuggle drugs into New York.
Officials say the drugs were shipped in suitcases or boxes from Jamaica and Guyana (ph), South America. Once in New York, the baggage handlers allegedly took possession, avoiding inspection by moving the drugs to safe areas to be sold later.
Officials believe the ring was operating for a decade and that the smugglers shipped in at least 900 pounds of cocaine and hundreds more pound of marijuana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSLYNN MAUSKOPF, U.S. ATTORNEY: This was a classic inside job. The defendants' status as airport employees gave them unfettered access, unlimited opportunity and the ability to act with virtual impunity to smuggle massive quantities of dangerous drugs through two of our nation's largest ports of entry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Investigators got a break a year ago. They discovered a shipment of cocaine. One of the baggage handlers involved began cooperating with customs and drug agents.
During the course of the yearlong investigation, agents made various seizures. The largest just recently, on September 20, with 185 kilos of cocaine.
Several employees, according to prosecutors, worked for American Airlines. The others were subcontractors. Most of them were subcontractors hired by the airport. Specifically, Evergreen, Eagle and Globe Ground North American, which is a connection to British Airways. Twenty-five suspects are in custody, most rounded up this morning. Some of those people also at Miami International Airport. They'll be charged with conspiracy to import controlled substances, maximum penalty life in prison -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Deborah, airport security experts have been saying for a long time one of the big concerns is the so-called back door of the airport, where all the workers go in and out. What does this say about security at JFK?
FEYERICK: Well, I think that's what stunned prosecutors the most, is that even two years after the attacks, the 9/11 attacks, that this was allowed to happen. They did not comment on whether the drug activities slowed down during those months when, obviously, security was a main issue.
But the fact that those smugglers were allegedly able to bring some 200 kilos cocaine into the country just a couple of months ago shows that they certainly were upping their activity -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Frightening thought. Deborah Feyerick, appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 25, 2003 - 14:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: We're into another hour of LIVE FROM. Up first, in this segment, contraband at Kennedy. Baggage handlers carted off jail. What authorities call a drug smuggling ring at New York City international airport was broken wide open today.
CNN Deborah Feyerick checks in with details on all this.
Hello, Deborah.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.
Well, customs officials say at least 20 baggage handlers and cargo handlers at JFK Airport used their positions to bypass security and smuggle drugs into New York.
Officials say the drugs were shipped in suitcases or boxes from Jamaica and Guyana (ph), South America. Once in New York, the baggage handlers allegedly took possession, avoiding inspection by moving the drugs to safe areas to be sold later.
Officials believe the ring was operating for a decade and that the smugglers shipped in at least 900 pounds of cocaine and hundreds more pound of marijuana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSLYNN MAUSKOPF, U.S. ATTORNEY: This was a classic inside job. The defendants' status as airport employees gave them unfettered access, unlimited opportunity and the ability to act with virtual impunity to smuggle massive quantities of dangerous drugs through two of our nation's largest ports of entry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Investigators got a break a year ago. They discovered a shipment of cocaine. One of the baggage handlers involved began cooperating with customs and drug agents.
During the course of the yearlong investigation, agents made various seizures. The largest just recently, on September 20, with 185 kilos of cocaine.
Several employees, according to prosecutors, worked for American Airlines. The others were subcontractors. Most of them were subcontractors hired by the airport. Specifically, Evergreen, Eagle and Globe Ground North American, which is a connection to British Airways. Twenty-five suspects are in custody, most rounded up this morning. Some of those people also at Miami International Airport. They'll be charged with conspiracy to import controlled substances, maximum penalty life in prison -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Deborah, airport security experts have been saying for a long time one of the big concerns is the so-called back door of the airport, where all the workers go in and out. What does this say about security at JFK?
FEYERICK: Well, I think that's what stunned prosecutors the most, is that even two years after the attacks, the 9/11 attacks, that this was allowed to happen. They did not comment on whether the drug activities slowed down during those months when, obviously, security was a main issue.
But the fact that those smugglers were allegedly able to bring some 200 kilos cocaine into the country just a couple of months ago shows that they certainly were upping their activity -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Frightening thought. Deborah Feyerick, appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
