The evidence at trial proved that, between 2000 and
2009, the Bourne organization utilized corrupt employees
of commercial airlines, including American Airlines,
working at domestic and international ports of entry to
smuggle illegal narcotics into the U.S. and throughout
the Caribbean. Bourne paid dispatching crew chiefs at
American Airlines to assign crews of baggage handlers,
who, in turn, were paid tens of thousands of dollars by
the Bourne organization to retrieve the cocaine from the
flights upon arrival. The cocaine smuggled aboard
American Airlines flights into JFK was hidden behind
panels in the front and rear cargo holds, the ceiling,
wing assembly, avionics, and other vital equipment
compartments.
After removing the cocaine from these locations, the
corrupt baggage handlers hid the drugs inside their
coats and airline equipment bags to avoid detection by
law enforcement and safely transport the drugs to
Bourne. The government proved at trial that, in this
manner, the Bourne organization was responsible for the
importation into the U.S. of over 150 kilograms of
cocaine. At the time of his arrest in 2009, Bourne was
preparing to transport even larger quantities of cocaine
in cargo containers from the Caribbean to the United
States.
The evidence presented by the government at trial
included testimony from six former American Airlines
employees who pleaded guilty to narcotics trafficking
charges resulting from their participation in the Bourne
organization. Each witness described Bourne's control of
the drug smuggling operation, including the recruitment
and payment of his workers, the secret locations on the
aircraft where the cocaine was hidden, and the growth of
the organization over time. One of the employees
recounted a conversation in which Bourne stated, in
substance, that he "started with half a kilo, then got
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 30, 50."
Another government witness, an American Airlines
employee at JFK who was not involved in drug
trafficking, testified that Bourne accused him of
stealing two kilograms of cocaine. This witness
testified that Bourne threatened to "kill me, my family,
my kids" if the drugs were not returned. Shortly
thereafter, Bourne confronted the same employee at the
airport and pushed him off of a truck, causing a neck
injury. The evidence at trial also
established that Bourne was responsible for the shipment
of over 5,000 pounds of marijuana aboard cargo vessels,
in part through a Brooklyn footwear company, to
businesses in Barbados.
Bourne reaped millions of dollars in illegal cash
proceeds from his illegal drug trafficking, and
laundered his drug proceeds through businesses and real
estate ventures in Brooklyn and Barbados.
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