Two federal inspectors are among those arrested VIDEO CNN's Susan Candiotti has details on the case and shows undercover video shot during the sting. Windows Media 28K 80K

August 25, 1999
Web posted at: 11:57 a.m. EDT (1557 GMT)

In this story: Airline responds Arrests in New York, Florida Suspects were couriers Easy access RELATED STORIES, SITES

From Correspondent Susan Candiotti

MIAMI (CNN) -- Nearly 60 people, mostly American Airlines employees and contract workers, face federal drug smuggling conspiracy charges following a two-and-a-half-year undercover operation that used fake cocaine.

Federal agents fanned out before dawn Wednesday to make arrests at several locations, including Miami International Airport.

Most of the 58 people named in federal indictments are American Airline baggage handlers, ramp agents and contract food service workers.

They are accused of plotting to smuggle drugs from South America into the United States or acting as couriers within the United States to deliver drugs from Miami to other cities.

In addition, two inspectors -- one from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and one from the Department of Agriculture -- as well as a Broward County (Florida) Sheriff's officer who worked part time as a baggage handler also face charges, sources said.

Wansley says American Airlines has "zero tolerance for illegal drugs"

American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, said it cooperated in the investigation, dubbed "Operation Ramp Rats," and would continue to do so.

"While we are disturbed that a small group of employees were part of this smuggling ring, their activities have been under surveillance by the federal government and the company for some time," said airline security chief Larry Wansley.

"This is a company with zero tolerance for illegal drugs," he told reporters.

Authorities,, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told CNN the undercover operation illustrates widespread corruption among American Airlines ramp employees.

Asked about the allegation, Wansley repeated the airline's position that only a "small group" of employees was involved.

No one among American Airlines management employees, pilots or flight attendants was said to have been involved in the alleged smuggling ring.

Because fake cocaine was used in the undercover operation, most suspects escaped the most serious of drug charges

Sources said 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of phony cocaine was used in the investigation and more than $300,000 paid to suspects. "We didn't run out of defendants," said one source. "We ran out of money."

Arrests, made in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas and in New York, were carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs Service, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Miami-Dade police department.

Sources say the lengthy undercover sting using fake cocaine was carried out by the DEA and the Customs Service after evidence was uncovered of alleged smuggling of real drugs at Miami International Airport.

Because the "drugs" involved in "Operation Ramp Rats" were not real, the suspects escaped the most serious drug charges. Instead, they were charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute.

Law enforcement sources tell CNN that ramp agents unloaded what they thought was cocaine from American Airlines flights arriving from Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia.

It's alleged they delivered the phony cocaine to pre-arranged contacts working undercover for law enforcement agencies.

Suspects would then act as couriers, and sometimes arrange to have off-duty co-workers carry the dummy cocaine on domestic American Airlines flights to several U.S. cities including New York, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Sources say the packages weighed 5-15 kilograms (11-33 pounds) each and couriers allegedly earned up to $3,000 per trip.

Sources say the ramp agents and other workers used their employee passes and airport access -- while both on and off-duty -- to meet planes carrying the fake contraband.

The airline agents allegedly would either drive the earmarked "drug" baggage off the airport property to the employee parking lot, or bypass U.S. Customs inspection by directly taking the baggage to a domestic baggage claim area for pre-arranged pickup.

To deliver the phony cocaine to other U.S. cities without having the drugs detected, airline employees would take advantage of the access afforded by their employee ID to use employee-only doors and bypass security checkpoints, including X-ray machines, sources say.

In one case, informed sources say, a suspect carrying fake cocaine aboard a flight to Philadelphia allegedly helped deliver hand grenades, handguns and ammunition inside a briefcase along with the fake drugs.

The grenades and guns had been disabled by law enforcement authorities.

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