4 flight attendants arrested, accused of taking millions in drug money to Dominican Republic

Four flight attendants used their security clearance to smuggle $8 million in drug money through JFK airport, feds say.

Federal authorities disclosed that four flight attendants misused their privileges as airline employees to smuggle millions of dollars in drug money out of New York City to the Dominican Republic.

The suspects exploited the "Known Crewmember (KCM)" lane at John F. Kennedy International Airport, granting them expedited and X-ray-free access through security, officials revealed.

"In essence, due to these relaxed security protocols, KCM privileges enable flight attendants to circumvent airport security with significant amounts of cash without the risk of seizure," stated a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in a complaint.

The suspected smugglers are Jarol Fabio, Emmanuel Torres, Sarah Valerio Pujols and Charlie Fernandez.

The defendants - Charlie Hernandez, 42; Sarah Valerio Pujols, 24; Emmanuel Torres, 34; and Jarol Fabio, 35 - face charges related to "unlicensed money transmission," as per prosecutors. They were apprehended on Tuesday, according to a Homeland Security Investigations spokesperson.

Hernandez resides in West New York, New Jersey, while the other three defendants are from New York City, officials indicated. They are accused of smuggling around $8 million in "bulk cash" collectively to the Dominican Republic.

Homeland Security Investigations officials said the bust of four flight attendants exposed "vulnerabilities" in air security.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams remarked, "As alleged, these flight attendants smuggled millions of dollars of drug money and funds they believed were related to drug trafficking from the United States to the Dominican Republic over several years by taking advantage of their privileges as airline employees."

An informant reportedly provided Hernandez with $121,215, proceeds from narcotics trafficking, of which he gave Pujols $61,215 to transport to the Dominican Republic in December 2019, according to the complaint.

Torres is accused of smuggling at least $1.5 million in drug money to the Dominican Republic between 2015 and 2022, while Fabio allegedly transported $1.5 million from 2015 to 2023, federal authorities asserted.

Delta Airlines confirmed that two of the defendants are its employees.