TSA Officer José Cruz-López Indicted in Cocaine Smuggling Ring

San Juan, Puerto Rico — A former TSA officer and an airport supervisor are under federal indictment for orchestrating a nearly decade-long cocaine smuggling operation through the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. José Cruz-López, once trusted to screen baggage, allegedly used his position to bypass security on suitcases loaded with kilos of cocaine, funneling approximately 1,500 kilograms to the continental United States.

Cruz-López, working at the TSA X-Ray station, systematically cleared luggage he knew contained 8 to 12 kilograms of cocaine per bag. From 2008 to 2016, he allowed these suitcases to pass undetected onto outbound flights. In 2008, Edwin Francisco Castro, a supervisor with Empresas Santana’s Wheelchair Section at LMMIA, joined the conspiracy, helping coordinate the illicit transport. Their partnership turned one of the Caribbean’s busiest airports into a narcotics superhighway.

Federal prosecutors allege Cruz-López accepted over $215,000 in bribes to manipulate security screening. As a public official, his betrayal of duty allowed cartel-connected smugglers to exploit critical vulnerabilities in airport operations. The indictment charges both men with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, a crime carrying a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison if convicted.

The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with support from ICE-HSI, FBI, TSA, and Puerto Rico Police, culminated in the unsealing of the indictment on November 2, 2016. The case emerged from the Airport Investigations and Tactical Team (AirTAT), a joint task force launched in January 2015 to dismantle criminal networks exploiting Puerto Rico’s air hubs for trafficking drugs, weapons, and other contraband.

“These two individuals were involved in a conspiracy to traffic massive quantities of illegal narcotics to the continental United States,” said Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “These arrests demonstrate the Justice Department’s continued commitment to arrest and hold responsible those who engage in drug trafficking.” AirTAT’s collocated force of federal and local agents has intensified scrutiny on airport-based corruption since its inception.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Zander is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Julia Díaz-Rex, Deputy Chief of the Narcotics Unit. The indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. José Cruz-López and Edwin Francisco Castro are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case underscores the high-stakes vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to insider corruption.