Flight Attendants Arrested For Smuggling Drug Money To Dominican Republic

Federal authorities have made a significant arrest, apprehending four flight attendants in New York City on charges of smuggling millions of dollars in drug money to the Dominican Republic, as announced on Wednesday.

The individuals, identified as Charlie Hernandez, 42, Sarah Valerio Pujols, 24, Emmanuel Torres, 34, and Jarol Fabio, 35, residents of New York City, allegedly exploited their access to the “Known Crewmember (KCM)” lane, a specialized security lane allowing crew members to bypass regular security checks, including X-ray screenings. This enabled them to transport substantial sums of cash unnoticed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams emphasized the severity of the allegations. “As alleged, these flight attendants smuggled millions of dollars of drug money and law enforcement funds that they thought was drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic over many years,” Williams stated, adding that they had done so by exploiting “their privileges as airline employees.”

The flight attendants are accused of illegally transferring approximately $8 million to the Dominican Republic. The charges stem from a December 2019 incident where an informant purportedly handed Hernandez $121,215, identified as proceeds from drug trafficking. Hernandez then allegedly distributed a portion of this amount to Pujols for smuggling purposes. The complaint also outlines Torres’ involvement, alleging that from 2015 to 2022, he smuggled at least $1.5 million, while Fabio is accused of similar actions between 2015 and 2023.

Although Pujols has been released from custody, her attorney declined further comment. At the time of reporting, legal representation for Hernandez and Torres was not listed in court documents, according to NBC News. Delta Airlines has confirmed that two of the charged individuals are its employees and has pledged full cooperation with the investigation.

“Delta has cooperated fully with law enforcement in this investigation and will continue to do so,” stated Delta Airlines in response to the arrests.