Defendant was “inside man” for drug smuggling scheme at JFK International Airport
NEW YORK — A former American Airlines mechanic at John F. Kennedy International Airport was sentenced Sept. 6 to 108 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import and possess cocaine following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York investigation in coordination with law enforcement partners. Paul Belloisi, 56, of Smithtown, was convicted in May 2023 following a one-week jury trial for all three counts of an indictment charging him with conspiring to possess and import cocaine and importing cocaine.
HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) New York Director of Field Operations Francis J. Russo announced the sentence.
According to the investigation, on Feb. 4, 2020, American Airlines flight 1349 arrived at JFK Airport’s Terminal 8 from Montego Bay, Jamaica. The aircraft was selected for a routine search by CBP officers from the JFK Airport 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 cocaine was replaced with fake bricks and sprayed with a substance that glows when illuminated with a special black light. CBP officers and HSI special agents placed the aircraft under surveillance from a distance and shortly before it was scheduled to take off for its next flight, they saw Belloisi drive up and pull himself inside the electronics compartment. Law enforcement confronted Belloisi after they observed his gloves glowing under the black light, indicating he had handled the fake bricks. Belloisi was also carrying an empty tool bag and the lining of his jacket had cutouts sufficiently large enough to hold the bricks. 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., repeatedly 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,” said McCormack. “I am proud to stand alongside the Eastern District of New York and CBP in bringing this corrupt ‘inside man’ to justice.”
“The defendant abused his insider position at JFK Airport to help smuggle more than 25 pounds of cocaine into the United States in a highly sensitive electronics compartment of an international aircraft,” said Peace. “This conduct not only furthers the trafficking of drugs that harms our communities, but also poses a serious threat to the security of a vital border crossing in our district and our transportation infrastructure. Today’s sentence demonstrates that the government takes these threats very seriously, and those who work in trusted positions at our airports and in other critical industries must know that they face serious consequences for crimes of corruption.”
“This case serves as a great example of collaborative law enforcement efforts to combat international narcotics trafficking conspirators. U.S. Customs and Border Protection thanks our partners at HSI and the USAO for their continued cooperation,” said Russo.