Lincoln E. Son, Cocaine Smuggling, Georgia 2012

Lincoln E. Son, a 38-year-old Atlanta man, was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States aboard international commercial flights.

According to investigators, Son was a member of a Caribbean-based drug-trafficking organization that used suitcases filled with cocaine from checked baggage ramps at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to bypass U.S. Customs inspection and smuggle the luggage off airport property.

Son, a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, was identified by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) as the person who recruited Delta employees to intercept the cocaine-laden suitcases and smuggle them off airport property.

HSI received information in February 2010 that a Caribbean-based drug-trafficking organization was smuggling large amounts of cocaine into Atlanta using suitcases on Delta Air Lines flights from St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Son was indicted in February 2012 on charges of conspiring to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He pleaded guilty to all three charges on October 26, 2012.

In a statement, United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said, "Putting a stop to the use of commercial airlines for smuggling is important not only because narcotics themselves are a threat to the health and safety of our citizens, but also because airline smuggling of any kind poses a threat to the security of aviation in our country."

Son’s sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Orinda D. Evans on [date].

Defendant: Lincoln E. Son

Criminal Charges: Conspiring to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, and attempted possession of cocaine with intent to distribute

City and State: Atlanta, Georgia

Sentence: 16 years and 8 months in federal prison

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