MESA, Ariz. — Two California residents were recently charged with transporting narcotics after police found cocaine when the small plane they were in, which took off from a Mesa airport, had to make an emergency landing.
So, how did a plane leaving Arizona fly with over a kilogram of cocaine across state lines? Well, just as cars aren't inspected when traveling over state lines-- small planes taking domestic flights don't have to be inspected, either.
"If you're coming from domestic, somewhere in the domestic US, no," Captain Ron Neilson said. "If you come across the border, yeah, there's stuff that you have to do.”
The plane left Oceanside, California, Wednesday evening at 6:45 p.m. and landed at Mesa's Falcon Field Airport. The plane was there for a little over four hours before taking off for California again, according to flight records.
At 1:43 a.m., police in Oceanside got a call that a plane had to make an emergency landing on a highway, according to Oceanside police. Officers became suspicious when they saw one of the occupants try to ditch a backpack in nearby brush. Two pounds of cocaine were found inside the backpack, officials said.
"It doesn’t surprise me. I think we have narcotics coming into our country in various ways,” an Oceanside officer said.
The City of Mesa told 12News that the aircraft is not based at Falcon Field Airport and this was the only time that plane has been reported to be at the airport. Mesa officials said at a general aviation airport, it's the pilot's responsibility to perform inspections of aircraft, passengers and cargo.
Here's the full statement from the City of Mesa:
The City of Mesa does not comment on the specific actions taken by aircraft operators regarding their operations. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) or, if delegated, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) will conduct the investigation into this incident, and we refrain from speculating or commenting on ongoing investigations.
To address your specific inquiries:
- The aircraft is not based at Falcon Field Airport.
- According to Virtower software, the aircraft's only operation at Falcon Field Airport occurred on September 25th.
- At a General Aviation Airport, it is the responsibility of the pilot for all inspections of the aircraft, passengers, and cargo prior to departure.
Gabriel Breit, 21, and Troy Smith, 36, were arrested and charged with transporting narcotics.