Editing Frederick "Rik" Luytjes (section)

==Cocaine Smuggling Operations==
From 1980 to 1984, pilots for his company, Air America, flew an estimated $2 billion worth of cocaine from Colombia to the U.S., earning Luytjes an estimated $40 million. His company, based out of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport, used stripped-down planes to transport large quantities of cocaine (e.g., 1,300 pounds per trip).

He revolutionized drug smuggling into the U.S. by using planes capable of longer ranges, allowing them to fly directly to northern states like New York or Pennsylvania, rather than just to the southern borders. He was known for his professionalism and the quality of his planes, boasting that his pilots could guarantee arrival times within three minutes, "not even Federal Express" could do that.

He laundered much of his profits through legitimate businesses. In 1986, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges and agreed to cooperate with the government in prosecuting other drug suspects. He forfeited approximately $8 million in drug-related assets, including Air America and an estate in the Pocono Mountains. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a reduced sentence due to his cooperation.