US targets smugglers at Puerto Rico airport

[DainBramaged]

Nine employees of American Airlines have been charged with participating in a smuggling ring that shipped cocaine from Puerto Rico's main airport aboard flights to the U.S. mainland, officials said Tuesday.

The American Airlines workers, a mix of baggage handlers and other members of the ground crew, were part of a ring suspected of sending at least 9,000 kilograms (19,840 pounds) of cocaine over the past decade to destinations that include Miami and Orlando, Florida, and New Jersey, said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez.

Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI arrested 22 members of the alleged smuggling ring, including most of the suspects who work at the airport, during raids early Tuesday. The arrests followed a joint investigation dubbed "Operation Heavy Cargo."

The alleged ringleader, Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado, 37, surrendered at a federal courthouse Tuesday afternoon, according to his attorney, Luis Rivera. Rodriguez no longer works for the airline and is pleading innocent, Rivera said.

As a part-time American Airlines cargo employee, Rodriguez allegedly recruited others to help pack suitcases with cocaine and deliver them to the airport on pre-loaded airline cargo containers. A member of the drug ring would then pick up the suitcases at mainland airports, according to the indictment.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWNum1qgRe10CvqNVCF0QXmg_b7QD9ANU94G0

Another 'victory' in the war on drugs. Or another way to justify a bloated, unnecessary budget that destroys lives.