Both
involved hiding the narcotics on aircraft originating at Jamaica's Montego Bay
Airport for retrieval and subsequent
distribution in the
United States. The first method
involved stashing the drugs beneath the aircraft's toilet. Once
the plane landed in the United States and cleared customs, a
co-conspirator would board the plane for the next leg of the
trip. During the flight, the co-conspirator would retrieve the
hidden narcotics from the bathroom.
Because
the plane had already cleared customs, this individual was not
subject to search upon exiting the aircraft. Another
method of concealment involved hiding narcotics behind panels in
the cargo section of airplanes departing Jamaica. Once
the flight reached the
United States, the
co-conspirators would use baggage handlers employed by various
airlines to remove the drugs and give them to other members of
the organization. The drugs were subsequently distributed to
Christie's customers in
New York.
"This
investigation led by dedicated HSI special agents in
New York resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for a
defendant who ignored our nation's drug laws and disrespected
our country's borders," said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent
in charge of ICE HSI in
New York. "We will continue to
aggressively investigate this type of crime to deter this type
of illegal activity in the future."
Over the
course of the conspiracy, Christie imported more than 150
kilograms of cocaine and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana
using these methods. In addition to the prison term, Christie
was sentenced to five years of supervised release and ordered to
forfeit over $3 million. HSI
was joined in this investigation by the Drug Enforcement
Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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