Airport services worker at Dulles International Airport pleads guilty to smuggling cocaine

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Peruvian citizen pled guilty today to importing cocaine into the United States.

According to court documents, José Luis Castillo Rojas, 43, was employed by an airport services company at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Castillo Rojas held a Special Access Seal that provided him unescorted access to customs security areas within the airport, including access to international flights and secure baggage areas.

On April 24, Castillo Rojas arrived at IAD on COPA Airlines Flight 404 from Tocumen International Airport in Panamá City, Panamá, with one cargo bag and one backpack.  During an authorized inspection of Castillo Rojas’ cargo bag, Customs and Border Patrol officers discovered multiple packages of cocaine, totaling 1.95 kilograms and more than $54,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency. An inspection of his cellphone revealed a text message conversation in which Castillo Rojas discussed retrieving the cargo bag from an individual in Peru and payment for delivering the bag to an individual in the United States.

Castillo Rojas is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff accepted the plea.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyndi McVey and David Lubitz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-188.