FEDS BUST JFK DRUG SMUGGLING RING

Feds Bust JFK Drug Smuggling Ring

October 16, 2007 Eighteen people are charged in connection with a drug smuggling ring stretching from the Dominican Republic to Kennedy Airport. They were arrested early Tuesday and later arraigned in Brooklyn federal court. Federal prosecutors say eight of the defendants are airport workers in the Dominican Republic who allegedly hid cocaine and heroin in luggage bound for New York. When the bags arrived, airline workers at JFK would remove the drugs from the bags before the were inspected. The scheme was uncovered by U.S. customs agents. Authorities say it is a case with serious implications. "A similar criminal compromise conspiracy could create vulnerabilities that could be exploited by terrorists," said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Special Agent Marc Lorenti. Seven of the ten defendants who work at JFK are employed by Delta. An airline spokesperson says they have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the two-year federal investigation. Prosecutors say the ring was allegedly run by Henry Polanco of Washington Heights.

Source: http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=10&aid=74630