4 flight attendants abused “their privileges as airline staff” and smuggled “tens of millions of greenbacks of drug cash” out of New York Town to the Dominican Republic, federal government mentioned Wednesday.The suspects had get right of entry to to the “Recognized Crewmember (KCM)” lane at John F. Kennedy Global Airport, giving them speedy and X-ray-free passage thru safety, government mentioned.”In impact, given those loosened safety procedures, KCM privileges permit flight attendants to avoid airport safety with huge amounts of money with out that money being seized,” a criticism written by means of a Hometown Safety Investigations particular agent mentioned. Charlie Hernandez, 42; Sarah Valerio Pujols, 24; Emmanuel Torres, 34; and Jarol Fabio, 35, all face more than a few fees hooked up to “unlicensed cash transmission,” prosecutors mentioned. Hernandez lives in West New York, New Jersey, whilst the opposite 3 defendants live in New York Town, officers mentioned.They’re accused of smuggling about $8 million in general in “bulk money” to the Dominican Republic, prosecutors mentioned. “As alleged, those flight attendants smuggled tens of millions of greenbacks of drug cash and regulation enforcement budget that they idea used to be drug cash from the US to the Dominican Republic over a few years by means of abusing their privileges as airline staff,” U.S. Legal professional Damian Williams mentioned in a commentary.An informant gave Hernandez $121,215 — budget “derived from narcotics trafficking” — and he then gave Pujols $61,215 of that cash for them to take to the Dominican Republic in December 2019, in step with the criticism.RecommendedTorres is accused of smuggling a minimum of $1.5 million in drug cash to the Dominican Republic between 2015 and 2022, the criticism mentioned. Fabio allegedly sneaked out $1.5 million between 2015 and 2023, federal government mentioned.Delta Airways showed that two of the defendants paintings for the Atlanta-based service.“Delta has cooperated totally with regulation enforcement on this investigation and can proceed to take action,” the airline mentioned in a commentary.The 4 have been arrested Tuesday, a Hometown Safety Investigations spokesperson mentioned.An lawyer for Pujols mentioned her consumer is not in custody however declined any more remark.A legal professional for Fabio may no longer in an instant be reached for remark Wednesday. There have been no lawyers in an instant indexed in court docket information for Hernandez and Torres.David Ok. Li is a senior breaking information reporter for NBC Information Virtual.Jay BlackmanJay Blackman is an NBC Information manufacturer overlaying such spaces as transportation, area, scientific and client problems.Michael Kosnar and Donna Mendell contributed.
