By Bill Mason
The Associated Press
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Federal agents arrested two Customs and Border Protection officers from Long Island and others yesterday and charged them with being part of a Kennedy Airport bribery and drug ring.
Supervisory officer Walter Golembiowski, 65, of Bethpage, was charged with bribery conspiracy and narcotics importation conspiracy. Inspector John Ajello, 51, of Hicksville, was charged with bribery conspiracy.
“Smuggling any kind of illegal commodity raises troubling issues at a time of deep concern over national security,” U.S. Attorney Michael J. Garcia said in a statement. “The threat is heightened when a government official accepts bribes to help smugglers breach our borders.”
The investigation was conducted by the New York Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Strike Force, which includes local police, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security and other federal units. The force said that from 2004 to this year, Golembiowski and others allowed counterfeit goods, hashish and other drugs to be cleared through customs at Kennedy.
Victor Juzumas, 46, of Merrick, a private customs broker, was also arrested and charged with bribery conspiracy and narcotics importation conspiracy.
Calls to Golembiowski’s and Juzumas’ homes were not returned, and a person who answered the phone at Ajello’s home declined to comment.
Authorities have arrested more than 20 people during the five-year investigation and seized more than 600 pounds of imported hashish worth about $500,000, the strike force said.
Yesterday’s arrests stemmed from witness information and an undercover operation that recorded meetings and phone calls, officials said. Defendants plotted to bring narcotics and other contraband into the United States, such as counterfeit Rolex, Cartier and Chanel watches, and sunglasses, officials said.
Golembiowski and Ajello earned “tens of thousands of dollars” for their part in the conspiracy, law enforcement sources said. Both have been customs and border protection officers for more than 20 years.
If convicted on all charges, Ajello could face up to 5 years’ imprisonment, Juzumas up to 25 years and Golembiowski up to 70 years.