LAX Baggage Handler Nabbed in Cocaine Smuggling Ring

LOS ANGELES – A brazen scheme to exploit security vulnerabilities at Los Angeles International Airport has landed a former baggage handler in federal custody. Alberto H. Botello, 23, of South Gate, was arrested Tuesday evening, accused of conspiring to smuggle cocaine using his employee credentials to bypass airport security. This arrest is the latest development in a case that has been brewing since 2016.

Botello is charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and to distribute cocaine. He joins Adrian Ponce, 28, and Alberto Preciado Gutierrez, 27, both also of South Gate, as co-defendants in the case. Ponce and Gutierrez, also former baggage handlers, were initially arrested in the Spring of 2016. Botello made his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

Court documents paint a picture of a calculated operation. The trio allegedly facilitated the use of commercial airlines to move kilogram “samples” of cocaine from Los Angeles to drug customers on the East Coast. Preciado Gutierrez, at the time of the conspiracy, held a supervisory position with Swissport International at LAX, giving him the authority to move freely within secured areas. Law enforcement seized a kilogram of cocaine from Gutierrez on December 16, 2015, while he was allegedly delivering it to a courier in Terminal 3, who was preparing to board a JetBlue flight to New York. Gutierrez was subsequently terminated by Swissport.

The investigation quickly broadened. Ponce, apprehended while waiting for Gutierrez outside Terminal 3, confessed to using Gutierrez’s supervisory status to smuggle drugs with third-party couriers. These couriers, willing to risk carrying the narcotics in exchange for payment, would pass through normal security checkpoints. According to Ponce’s written statement, they were provided with the cocaine by Gutierrez, who leveraged his employee credentials to circumvent screening. Ponce also admitted to driving trucks carrying larger quantities – over 100 kilograms – across the country if the “samples” were approved by East Coast buyers, all for a cut of the profits.

“Airport employees, who by virtue of their jobs have special access to secured areas, play an important role in the security of air travelers and our national security,” stated United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Instead of protecting our security, these defendants are charged with abusing their special access for personal profit and exposing unsuspecting air travelers to nationwide drug trafficking.” DEA Special Agent in Charge Steve Comer echoed this sentiment, highlighting the multi-faceted national security threat posed by drug trafficking and the agency’s commitment to targeting security breaches at airports.

Ponce previously worked for a baggage handling service that was later acquired by Swissport. It’s a reminder that vulnerabilities can exist even within established security protocols. An indictment contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If convicted of the charged offenses, the defendants face significant prison sentences. The case serves as a stark warning: exploiting positions of trust for criminal gain will be met with federal prosecution.