American Airlines $250,000 Cocaine Bust
A former aircraft mechanic for American Airlines received 9 years prison on Friday after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle cocaine hidden beneath the cockpit of a flight from Jamaica to New York.
Paul Belloisi, 56, from Smithtown, New York, received his sentence from US District Judge Dora Irizarry in Brooklyn following his conviction in May 2023 for conspiracy to possess cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and the act of importing cocaine.
Prosecutors said that customs officials discovered 10 bricks of cocaine, totaling 25.6 pounds, concealed within an electronics compartment located beneath the cockpit. These bricks were subsequently substituted with counterfeit bricks coated in a substance that fluoresces under a specific black light. The cocaine found in the aircraft had a street value of more than $250,000.
“Paul Belloisi put his personal gain before the safety of the aviation industry by abusing his position to participate in a scheme to import over 25 pounds of cocaine into the U.S., storing smuggled narcotics within sensitive areas of passenger airplanes. His demise should send a message to anyone attempting to exploit the aviation industry: HSI New York and our law enforcement partners are committed to maintain the safety of the U.S. domestic and international transportation infrastructure,” stated HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack, “I am proud to stand alongside the Eastern District of New York and CBP in bringing this corrupt ‘inside man’ to justice.”
American Airlines is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and is the largest airline in the world when measured by scheduled passengers carried, revenue passenger mile. American Airlines check in
