DOJ: Rogue TSA Agents, Airport Workers Smuggled Tons of Cocaine via SJU

A grand jury indictment accuses six current and former TSA employees and as many SJU workers of a conspiracy responsible for the import of 20 tons of drugs into the US over more than a decade.

A coordinated sting by US law enforcement found that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents responsible for ensuring the security of air travel may have instead used their positions to shield a major cocaine-smuggling operation from detection. Six current and former TSA employees were indicted on drug trafficking charges along with a half-dozen one-time workers at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU).

According to US Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, the wide-reaching conspiracy saw 20 tons of cocaine worth approximately $100 million pass through the airport over the years. The TSA officers are accused of smuggling the drugs onboard flights departing to US cities, while the airport employees are said to have acted as liaisons between suppliers and airport security workers also involved in the trafficking operation.

“These individuals were involved in a conspiracy to traffic massive quantities of illegal narcotics to the continental United States,” US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez said in a release announcing the indictments. “These arrests demonstrate the success of the AirTAT initiative, which has successfully allocated a dedicated group of state and federal law enforcement officers, whose mission is to ensure that our airports are not used in the drug traffickers’ illicit businesses.”

The syndicate of employees based at SJU allegedly managed to place suitcases containing between 8 and 15 kilos of cocaine on outbound flights to destinations across the US. Some commercial flights reportedly departed the airport with as many five drug-filled carry-on bags in the cabin. According to the indictment, the TSA officers involved in the scheme not only turned a blind eye to the drug shipments but also helped to ensure that the bags containing drugs were not x-rayed and were kept well away from drug enforcement agents stationed at the airport.

Agents from the TSA, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the US Marshal Service (USMS) and local police participated in the sting over several months. The smuggling operation is thought to have operated successfully for more than 15 years prior to being broken up by authorities.

“This investigation was initiated by TSA as part of its efforts to address employee misconduct and specific insider threat vulnerabilities,” Puerto Rico’s Federal Security Director José Baquero said, crediting the agency for the housecleaning operation. “TSA has zero tolerance for employees engaged in criminal activity to facilitate contraband smuggling.”

[Photo: Shutterstock]