Caribbean Airlines Sued After Cocaine Allegedly Planted In Passenger Luggage

Simeon Wilson, 50, of Queens, New York, said that his life became a nightmare after his October 2018 vacation to Guyana turned him into a drug mule. 

According to a lawsuit filed against the airline, Mr. Wilson, a father working as a janitor, was returning to New York when he noticed a secured necktie around his suitcase. After he checked in at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, the necktie was no longer found attached to his luggage. 

Once he arrived at the JFK Airport, Wilson was pulled aside by US Customs agents and arrested. The search resulted in a seizure of 2000 grams of cocaine placed in separate bags. 

According to a report from the New York Post, the working janitor had never seen or touched drugs before. 

Wilson “Had never touched, handled, sold, or even seen drugs in his life,” court papers claimed. 

After ten weeks, prosecutors dropped the charges based on the discovered tampering of his luggage, “while in the sole custody of Caribbean Airlines,” Wilson said in a legal filing. 

Wilson subsequently lost his job and often stopped by police based on the discarded charges showing up on his records. 

He is claiming an unspecified amount for damages to which Caribbean Airlines has declined to comment on.