Drug smuggling

26 charged with smuggling cocaine to U.S. mainland as feds bust up drug ring at Puerto Rico airport

Federal law enforcement has broken up a $4 million drug-trafficking ring at Puerto Rico's main international airport that relied on bathrooms and garbage chutes to smuggle cocaine to the U.S. mainland, authorities said Tuesday.

Indicted in the case are 26 suspects including airline employees, airport staff and restaurant workers. The majority were arrested before dawn at the Luis Munoz Marin airport in the capital of San Juan that authorities said serves as the biggest drug distribution center in the Caribbean.

"Today we have brought their operations to a grinding halt," said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez.