(AP Photo/El Nuevo Dia, Angel Rivera)Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:16pm EDT
* Nine American Airlines employees among those arrested
* Indictment names 23 accused, 21 in custody
* Almost all arrests in Puerto Rico, one in Miami (Recasts; Adds comments from DEA, American Airlines)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 15 (Reuters) - U.S. anti-drug agents arrested more than 20 people, nine of them employees of American Airlines (AMR.N), in raids to bust a drug trafficking ring between Puerto Rico and the United States, authorities said on Tuesday.
"The arrests are related to drug trafficking," Waldo Santiago, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokesman in the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico, told Reuters.
The arrests stemmed from a sealed indictment naming 23 suspects, of which 21 were detained by mid-morning on Tuesday, Santiago added. One person was arrested in Miami and the rest in San Juan and several suburban towns surrounding the city.
The two remaining suspects were being sought in San Juan.
The charges included distribution and conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs, DEA Miami spokesman David Melenkevitz said.
A spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Juan told Reuters those arrested included nine employees of American Airlines, which has its Caribbean hub in Puerto Rico.
The American Airlines spokeswoman in San Juan, Minnette Velez, confirmed that company employees had been arrested.
"Whenever the authorities bring a situation like this to our attention, we work with them. That was the case here," she said.
American Airlines issued a statement saying: "As a company, we hope that the actions of a few employees don't reflect negatively on the tens of thousands of ethical American Airlines employees who work hard to serve the public daily." (Reporting by John Marino, Pascal Fletcher, Jane Sutton; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN152783820090915
* Indictment names 23 accused, 21 in custody
* Almost all arrests in Puerto Rico, one in Miami (Recasts; Adds comments from DEA, American Airlines)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept 15 (Reuters) - U.S. anti-drug agents arrested more than 20 people, nine of them employees of American Airlines (AMR.N), in raids to bust a drug trafficking ring between Puerto Rico and the United States, authorities said on Tuesday.
"The arrests are related to drug trafficking," Waldo Santiago, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokesman in the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico, told Reuters.
The arrests stemmed from a sealed indictment naming 23 suspects, of which 21 were detained by mid-morning on Tuesday, Santiago added. One person was arrested in Miami and the rest in San Juan and several suburban towns surrounding the city.
The two remaining suspects were being sought in San Juan.
The charges included distribution and conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs, DEA Miami spokesman David Melenkevitz said.
A spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Juan told Reuters those arrested included nine employees of American Airlines, which has its Caribbean hub in Puerto Rico.
The American Airlines spokeswoman in San Juan, Minnette Velez, confirmed that company employees had been arrested.
"Whenever the authorities bring a situation like this to our attention, we work with them. That was the case here," she said.
American Airlines issued a statement saying: "As a company, we hope that the actions of a few employees don't reflect negatively on the tens of thousands of ethical American Airlines employees who work hard to serve the public daily." (Reporting by John Marino, Pascal Fletcher, Jane Sutton; Editing by Maureen Bavdek)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN152783820090915
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