September
1999
OPERATION
RAMP RATS
The Miami Field Divisions
Group 41 ended Operation Ramp Rats I on August 25, 1999, with the arrest
of 39 defendants, most of whom were American Airlines employees at Miami
International Airport (MIA). At the same time U.S. Customs arrested 13
defendants in a related investigation of Lufthansa Sky Chef food services
employees, who were contracted to provide food services to American Airlines.
The New York JFK Airport Office also arrested seven defendants associated
with American Airlines in a related investigation. In all, 59 individuals
associated with American Airlines were arrested on August 25, 1999.
Operation
Ramp Rats resulted in the arrest of 59 individuals asociated with
American Airlines. |
The DEA defendants
were ramp workers responsible for baggage, cleaning, fueling, and other
services required by American Airlines aircraft. Such employees are nicknamed
ramp rats within the airline industry. The investigations
disclosed large-scale smuggling of heroin and cocaine into the United
States by these employees along with the distribution of drugs, weapons
and explosives throughout the United States. One significant result of
the investigation was the disclosure of serious security breaches at MIA.
Operation Ramp Rats
II, also conducted by Group 41, ended a few weeks later, on September
9, 1999, with the arrests by DEA and U.S. Customs of 15 ramp workers associated
with airlines other than American Airlines. Further security breaches
were disclosed by this operation.
Both operations disrupted
several drug trafficking organizations. More importantly, the investigations
caused Miami-Dade County to institute immediate security measures at MIA,
establishing major obstacles to the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and explosives
through the airport. A commission has also been established by Miami-Dade
Mayor Alex Penelas to monitor security at the airport and to develop further
enhancements to MIA security.
Traffickers used their access to airplanes to smuggle a variety of
illegal narcotics.
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