US targets smugglers at Puerto Rico airport

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 United States mainland, according to a report by Mike Melia on www.ap.org.



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, Orlando, Florida, and New Jersey, said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez.



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



The alleged ringleader, Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosado, 37, surrendered at a federal courthouse this 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.



The defendants, who were arrested in cities near San Juan and in Miami, face charges including conspiracy and aiding and abetting one another with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted they face fines and up to life in prison.