An American Airlines veteran flight attendant was arrested in Argentina for trying to smuggle gold bars, thousands of dollars of jewelry and cash out of Argentina on a flight from Miami to Miami, where she was the chief purser.
Local media in Argentina identified the 57-year old female flight attendant as Laura Diana Schulz, who hails from Bariloche. Schulz's arrest in Argentina is making headlines because she was the Reina de La Nieve (Snow Queen) at her hometown's famous winter festival.
During a routine check, officers from Argentinas Polica de Seguridad Aeroportuaria (airport security) stopped Schulz as she was about to board American Airlines Flight AA900 from Buenos Aires.
After routine x-ray monitoring revealed something unusual in Schulz's bag, officers suspected Schulz. She allegedly claimed that she had her own savings in her bag that she would place in a safe at a Miami friend's house.
Officers were granted a warrant to search Schulz's luggage. They found thousands of dollars worth luxury goods, including Rolex watches, 2,204 grams of Gold and other high-end jewelry. Police also discovered US$ 11,413.33 among Schulz's belongings.
According to police, the flight attendant was accused of money laundering and smuggling.
Schulz was taken into custody around three weeks ago, but police have now made public details after releasing information publicly about the case.
Local media claims that the haul may be worth more than US$ 100,000.
According to police, the goods were hidden in several compartments of Schulz' luggage. To make the jewelry appear cheaper, some pieces were allegedly made of blackened metal.
American Airlines was contacted to comment.
International smuggling gangs sometimes target flight attendants because of their security access and insider information. They use them to smuggle illegal goods across borders.
Sometimes they do get caught. A Malaysian flight attendant was sentenced to nine years in prison last October for trying to smuggle $3 million into Australia. Another Malaysian flight attendant was also jailed for 12 months in the UK after he was found trying to smuggle 150,000 from Britain.
In 1997, an Emirates flight attendant was arrested for trying to smuggle heroin-filled bags into the UK. There have been many other attempts, and often gold is the material that flight attendants are asked for.
