Prison Time For Former Airline Mechanic Caught Smuggling Cocaine | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Thu, Sep 12, 2024

Prison Time For Former Airline Mechanic Caught Smuggling Cocaine

Financial Trouble Becomes The Least Of His Concerns

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that former American Airlines mechanic Paul Belloisi of Smithtown, New York, was sentenced to 9 years in prison for his actions in connection with a conspiracy to import cocaine.

The announcement was made by Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Darren B. McCormack, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York, and Francis J. Russo, Director of Field Operations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry issued the sentence in the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York.

The case broke open when a routine inspection by CBP of an American Airlines flight after arriving at JFK International Airport in New York found about 25 pounds of cocaine bricks in a compartment beneath the cockpit. Agents replaced the cocaine with fake bricks and sprayed them with a substance that glows under illumination by an ultraviolet (UV) light.

Agents then placed the aircraft under surveillance and just before its scheduled next takeoff, Belloisi was observed driving to the aircraft and pulling himself into the compartment. When Belloisi was confronted, law enforcement saw his gloves glow under the UV light. After a week-long trial, Belloisi was convicted in May 2023. It was disclosed in court that Belloisi had filed for bankruptcy in 2020 but he now faces a much larger challenge ahead. The federal agents called him a corrupt inside man who put his personal gain ahead of the safety of the aviation industry.

Agent McCormack said, “His demise should send a message to anyone attempting to exploit the aviation industry.”

FMI:  www.justice.gov/

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC