( CNN ) -- Twenty-three suspects , including nine American Airlines employees , were arrested Tuesday for allegedly transporting nearly $ 20 million worth of cocaine on flights into and out of Puerto Rico , federal authorities said . Manuel Santiago-Alvarado , an American Airlines control crew chief , is among the suspects arrested Tuesday . Most of the commercial flights carrying suitcases stuffed with illicit drugs came into San Juan , which was a transshipment point for drugs bound for cities on the U.S. mainland , authorities said . The drug trafficking organization headed by defendant Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosade had been operating since 1999 , according to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI , which participated in the long-running investigation . In a September 9 indictment unsealed Tuesday , Justice Department officials also moved to seize $ 18 million worth of property owned by the suspects , including seven homes , three businesses and an apartment complex . All but one of the arrests occurred in Puerto Rico . The lone arrest on the U.S. mainland was in Miami , Florida . Drug Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Javier Pena said the airline industry cooperated in the investigation . `` By denying the drug traffickers alternate smuggling routes , we disrupt the flow of drugs into Puerto Rico and discourage the use of the island as a transshipment point in the Caribbean , '' he said in a news release . The agency said that if they are convicted , the defendants taken into custody would face sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison and personal fines of up to $ 4 million . American Airlines issued a statement confirming some employees had been arrested , but could not confirm the number because of its privacy policy , spokesman Tim Wagner said in an e-mail . The airline has been working with authorities , he said . `` As a company , we hope that the actions of a few employees do n't reflect negatively on the tens of thousands of ethical American Airlines employees who work hard to serve the public daily , '' Wagner wrote .
9 airline employees among those accused of smuggling $ 20 million in cocaine . Most of flights were into or out of San Juan , Puerto Rico . DEA and FBI say operation had been running since 1999 . Justice Department moves to seize $ 18 million in property .