Four flight attendants have been arrested and charged for their involvement in a long-term scheme to smuggle millions of dollars of drug money from New York City to the Caribbean.

Charlie Hernandez, Sarah Valerio Pujols, Emmanuel Torres, and Jarol Fabio were apprehended and charged with operating an unlicensed money transmission business and violating airport security regulations.

Prosecutors allege that they exploited their positions as trusted flight attendants at John F. Kennedy International Airport to smuggle illicit funds linked to drug sales, including fentanyl, to the Dominican Republic.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) emphasized the vulnerabilities in airline security revealed by the investigation and warned against such abuses of power, the Independent reported.

The defendants, employed by different international airlines operating between New York and the Dominican Republic, used their status as “Known Crewmembers” to bypass security with less scrutiny.

A cooperating witness provided insight into the money laundering operation, detailing how the defendants accepted cash in New York, smuggled it past security, and delivered it to collaborators in the Dominican Republic for a fee.

US Attorney Damian Williams emphasized that those aiding drug traffickers will face consequences, highlighting that crime doesn’t pay.

Written by B.C. Begley