Former Airline Worker, Convicted Drug Smuggler Sentenced To 10 Years
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - One of 10 former workers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport convicted of using commercial flights to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced to 10 years in federal custody.
Jean Loui Vargas-Malave, 29, agreed to smuggle controlled substances onto commercial airlines that flew to Arizona, New Jersey and elsewhere.
"This is about greed and the people who abuse their positions of trust," said U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox at the time of Vargas-Malave's arrest.
He, along with coconspirators, bypassed security at the airport and loaded what they thought was methamphetamine onto an American Airlines flight. Starting in 2016, they allegedly had 145 pounds of meth transported to various domestic destinations.
"We have zero tolerance for employees who seek to undermine and evade the security protocols at airports," said Cox. "Smugglers are constantly seeking new ways to move illegal contraband across the country and we will do whatever necessary to thwart these criminals at every turn. Working together with federal and local law enforcement partners, we continue to prioritize efforts to help mitigate the insider threat to aviation security."
The bulk of the meth was sent to Newark while other shipments were flown to Phoenix and Charlotte, North Carolina.
