Paul Belloisi (via U.S. Department of Justice)
An airline mechanic is facing decades behind bars after being convicted of trying to smuggle more than 25 pounds of cocaine into the country through a hidden compartment under a jetliner cockpit.
Paul Belloisi, 55, was "caught red-handed" at the tail end of an apparent cocaine smuggling attempt in February 2020, the Justice Department announced in a press release Wednesday.
According to the DOJ, Customs and Border Protection had selected an American Airlines flight arriving at JFK from Jamaica for a routine search by the airport's Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team.
"The officers found 10 bricks of cocaine weighing 25.56 pounds — hidden inside an electronics compartment on the underside of the cockpit," the DOJ statement says. The officers replaced the cocaine with fake bricks and "sprayed with a substance that glows when illuminated with a special light."
Then, they waited — and watched the plane.
Shortly before the aircraft was scheduled to take off for its next flight, Belloisi drove up to the plane and pulled himself inside the electronics compartment.
"Belloisi was confronted by law enforcement who observed his gloves glowing under the black light, indicating he had handled the fake bricks," the DOJ statement says. "Belloisi was also carrying an empty tool bag, and the lining of his jacket had cutouts sufficiently large enough to hold the bricks."
Federal officials say the cocaine on the plane had a street value of $285,000 to $320,000.
Belloisi was charged with conspiring to possess cocaine, conspiring to import cocaine, and importing cocaine.
A federal jury convicted him after a one-week trial, according to the Justice Department.
"This corrupt airline mechanic not only abused his position of trust and undermined the security of a vital border crossing in our district, but was also willing to potentially endanger the safety of travelers as well as the community," U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in the DOJ's statement.
Belloisi faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.
