Flight Attendant And Co-Conspirator Indicted For Heroin Smuggling

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the return by a grand jury of an indictment charging Carlos Luis Alomar-Baello (43, Davenport) and Carla Michelle Alvarado (33, Kissimmee) with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. If convicted, Alomar and Alvarado each face a minimum penalty of ten years and a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. 

According to the indictment and other court documents, on September 28, 2013, Alvarado, a Jet Blue flight attendant, tried to smuggle almost one kilogram of heroin through U.S. Customs at the Orlando International Airport.  After landing on a flight from Bogota, Colombia, Alvarado was selected for inspection by Customs officers.  The officers discovered the heroin hidden inside a body suit that Alvarado was wearing underneath her uniform. Agents identified Alomar as the intended recipient of the heroin.  The next day, agents arranged a meeting with Alomar, who was arrested after taking possession of a bag he thought contained the heroin. Agents searched Alomar’s home and found more heroin that he had hidden there.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.  It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bruce Ambrose.