John Jefferson
A plane made an emergency landing in Oceanside, California, and a passenger was suspected of carrying cocaine (Oceanside Police Department).
A passenger aboard a small aircraft that made an emergency landing on a California highway is accused of ditching a package containing more than two pounds of cocaine in front of police behind a guardrail upon landing, authorities said.
Troy Othneil Smith, 36, faces a federal charge of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a press release.
The events leading to the arrest began on Sept. 25 when the Piper PA-28 Cherokee single-engine plane that had traveled from California earlier in the day toward Phoenix left from Mesa, Arizona, heading back to California after 11 p.m.
Hours later, at about 1:28 a.m., the plane began having engine issues over the Pacific Ocean and made a U-turn, heading back toward Oceanside, more than 80 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The pilot and passenger were planning an ocean landing because the airplane seemed to shut off and was malfunctioning, authorities said. But more than 10 minutes later, the plane instead made an emergency landing on Highway 76, making it safely to the ground without injuries to the occupants or anyone on the ground.
Officers from the Oceanside Police Department responded at 1:43 a.m. to an emergency radio call regarding the unexpected landing, the agency said in a press release.
Smith and the pilot were near the plane when officers arrived. At one point, an officer heard the unzipping of a backpack and turned to see Smith, who was standing near a guardrail, reach into the backpack, take an item out, and place it in the bushes, prosecutors said.
On the ground among the bushes, officers found a heat-sealed, airtight package containing more than 2 pounds of cocaine.
At a news conference announcing the arrests, Oceanside Police Assistant Chief Taurino Valdovinos, a former narcotics officer, said the bust didn’t surprise him.
“I think we have narcotics coming into our country in various ways,” he said. “I think the surprising part is the emergency landing and how we came across it.”
At the time of the emergency landing, Smith was already on the radar of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service on suspicion of shipping cocaine across the country through the mail, prosecutors said.
Smith and the pilot were both arrested. It’s unclear what the pilot’s status is. A media representative from the U.S. Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Law&Crime.
Smith is set to appear in court on Oct. 31.
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