Air Marshals Arrested for Drug Smuggling

Two United States air marshals have been arrested for using their positions to bypass airport security for drug smuggling.

According to the allegations in the criminal complaint, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began to investigate Shawn Nguyen and Burlie Sholar after receiving a drug smuggling tip. The DHS was informed that these two air marshals had been involved with selling narcotics.

As an ongoing investigation, the DHS found that Nguyen and Sholar had already bypassed airport security, smuggling 15 kilograms of cocaine on a Las Vegas bound flight. According to the investigation, the two men had allegedly bypassed airport security again, for another drug smuggling act.

With this information, the FBI had a cooperating witness deliver $15,000 under the guise of a drug transaction to Nguyen's home on February 9, 2006. FBI agents then arrested both Nguyen and Sholar as they drove away from Nguyen's residence in Houston.

Nguyen and Sholar are accused of conspiring to use their official positions to bypass airport security in order to smuggle a load of 15 kilograms of cocaine aboard a Las Vegas bound plane.

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine carries a mandatory minimum punishment of 10 years in federal prison. The maximum sentence is life in prison. In addition to these prison terms, there is a $4 million dollar fine.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Don DeGabrielle said, “We expect and demand that our law enforcement officials will themselves abide by the laws that they are sworn to uphold.”

The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that the Federal Air Marshal Service has cooperated fully with the investigation.