{"id":22122,"date":"2016-04-04T17:11:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T00:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=22122"},"modified":"2016-04-04T17:12:31","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T00:12:31","slug":"two-former-l-airport-baggage-handlers-implicated-drug-dealing-arrested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=22122","title":{"rendered":"Feds: Two Former L.A. Airport Baggage Handlers Involved in Nationwide Drug Dealing Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Two former baggage handlers who worked\u00a0at Los Angeles International Airport were arrested today by law enforcement authorities investigating the use of employee credentials to breach airport security, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"U.S.Adrian Ponce<\/strong>, 27, and Alberto Preciado Gutierrez<\/strong>, 26, both of South Gate<\/span>, were arrested this morning without incident by law enforcement officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both defendants were scheduled to make court appearances today.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two are charged in a federal criminal complaint with alleged conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine.<\/span><\/p>\n

If they are convicted of the narcotics trafficking offense, Ponce and Preciado are facing up to life in federal prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to an affidavit by a detective with the Los Angeles Airport Police, who is working with an anti-narcotics trafficking task force at LAX, Ponce and Preciado \u201cwere engaged in a nationwide conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of this conspiracy, Ponce and Preciado allegedly made it possible for third-party couriers to use commercial airlines to smuggle kilogram \u201csamples\u201d of cocaine from Los Angeles to drug customers on the East Coast.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time of the conspiracy, Preciado was a supervisory baggage handler employed by Swissport International<\/strong> at LAX.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese defendants are charged with abusing their privileged access on behalf of drug dealers,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. \u201cThis case is yet another example of employees associated with airports assisting drug traffickers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Less than two weeks ago, authorities arrested a JetBlue flight attendant Marsha Gayt Reynold who allegedly attempted to bring nearly 70 pounds of cocaine through security at LAX<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here for Related Marsha Gay Reynolds<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Reynolds, who was arrested in New York, has arrived in Los Angeles, and is expected to make her initial appearance in United States District Court today.<\/span><\/p>\n

As part of the investigation into the former baggage handlers, law enforcement seized a kilogram of cocaine in Preciado\u2019s possession on December 16, 2015. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the affidavit, the seizure was made in a restroom in Terminal 3 at LAX, where Preciado was delivering the cocaine to a courier, a man identified as \u201cJ.C.,\u201d who was holding a boarding pass to travel on a JetBlue flight to New York only an hour later.<\/span><\/p>\n

After this incident, Preciado was terminated by Swissport.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following day, law enforcement interviewed Ponce, who had been taken into custody while waiting for Preciado in a vehicle outside Terminal 3. <\/span><\/p>\n

According to the affidavit, Ponce gave a written statement in which he admitted that \u201con multiple occasions,\u201d he and Preciado had used Preciado\u2019s supervisory status as an LAX employee to smuggle drugs to out-of-state drug customers by using third-party couriers, such as J.C., who had booked flights from LAX to the East Coast, and were willing to take the drugs on a commercial flight in exchange for payment.<\/span><\/p>\n

In another statement given to law enforcement officials in January, Ponce allegedly admitted working with a large-scale drug supplier. \u00a0He explained how couriers with travel documents would pass through normal airport security, and would be provided with kilogram quantities of cocaine by Preciado, who had used his employee credentials to bypass security screening, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the affidavit, Ponce told law enforcement that if East Coast customers liked the cocaine \u201csample,\u201d then large shipments \u2013 more than 100 kilograms \u2013 would be delivered by driving the drugs across the country. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ponce allegedly admitted actually driving trucks laden with drugs, also in exchange for payment, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ponce previously worked at LAX for a baggage handling service that was recently acquired by Swissport, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swissport International cooperated in the investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"swissport-loading\"
Photo: AirportsInternational.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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