24 million dollar Aerostar

[Gulfstream 200]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/12/20/drug.plane.ap/index.html

 

[KigAir]

It's interesting that the FAA shows this guy rated SEL. I guess there's no need to get a multi-engine rating if you are flying drugs.

 

[Don]

Not that I'd ever......

But I have never seen a curious cop on the ramp. If you wanted to move drugs around it seems like GA would be the way to go. No getting pulled over. Just go into rinky dinky airport on the edge of town at an odd hour.

I wonder why they don't use little composite homebuilts to bring the drugs into the country? Don't those plane have a very small radar signature?

 

[FN FAL]

Not that I'd ever......

But I have never seen a curious cop on the ramp. If you wanted to move drugs around it seems like GA would be the way to go. No getting pulled over. Just go into rinky dinky airport on the edge of town at an odd hour.

I wonder why they don't use little composite homebuilts to bring the drugs into the country? Don't those plane have a very small radar signature?

Every time I flew a twin into an airport in Georgia at night, the cops showed up and at least took down the tail number after shining their spot light on the plane. Even at Peach Tree Dekalb. And in every case I was on an IFR flight plane from the north. Makes sense, doughnut? Searching planes coming from the north?

One trip was a private flight, a group of 5 of us flying from Green Bay to Tampa for Z-hills easter boogie. We stop at Peach Tree to get fuel at 2:00 AM and this cop shows up and flashes his light on our plane about the time I'm getting marshalled into position to shut down. I'm thinking dude, you must be one dumb mutha if you think we got room for drugs in this plane. There were 5 of us and gear for a week, including skydiving rigs.

I wouldn't go around thinking you aren't being watched at controlled or un-controlled fields.

Also, I would make sure that if you are being challenged at night by someone purporting to be with a law enforcement agency, that you make sure they are cops before you let them on board your aircraft for a little "look see". You may just find yourself hijacked or getting killed for your airplane.

 

[KigAir]

Hmm, Drug plane crashes and a druglord is captured a week later. I wonder if they are related:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/12/28/colombia.druglord.ap/index.html

 

[ms6073]

I wonder why they don't use little composite homebuilts to bring the drugs into the country?

They do! I seem to recall a 'documentary' about law enforcement on TLC or The Discovery Channel sometime in the last 12-14 months that had excerpts from a DEA aerial video. The segment was about a 4-6 hour pursuit of a suspected drug runner, flying nap of the earth at night in a Long EZ, eventually crashing - I think in lower Pennsylvania.

 

[Wiggums]

But I have never seen a curious cop on the ramp. If you wanted to move drugs around it seems like GA would be the way to go. No getting pulled over. Just go into rinky dinky airport on the edge of town at an odd hour.
hose plane have a very small radar signature?

I would do it the other way. Go into a busy airport in the middle of the day. Even get the lineperson to help carry your bags.

 

[4fanman]

They do! I seem to recall a 'documentary' about law enforcement on TLC or The Discovery Channel sometime in the last 12-14 months that had excerpts from a DEA aerial video. The segment was about a 4-6 hour pursuit of a suspected drug runner, flying nap of the earth at night in a Long EZ, eventually crashing - I think in lower Pennsylvania.

Wasn't there a Long EZ or Velocity that ran out of fuel over Detroit a few years back? I believe Customs had been persuing him since the US/Mex border.

 

[ClassG]

I'm pretty sure.....

Every time I flew a twin into an airport in Georgia at night, the cops showed up and at least took down the tail number after shining their spot light on the plane. Even at Peach Tree Dekalb. And in every case I was on an IFR flight plane from the north. Makes sense, doughnut? Searching planes coming from the north?

One trip was a private flight, a group of 5 of us flying from Green Bay to Tampa for Z-hills easter boogie. We stop at Peach Tree to get fuel at 2:00 AM and this cop shows up and flashes his light on our plane about the time I'm getting marshalled into position to shut down. I'm thinking dude, you must be one dumb mutha if you think we got room for drugs in this plane. There were 5 of us and gear for a week, including skydiving rigs.

I wouldn't go around thinking you aren't being watched at controlled or un-controlled fields.

Also, I would make sure that if you are being challenged at night by someone purporting to be with a law enforcement agency, that you make sure they are cops before you let them on board your aircraft for a little "look see". You may just find yourself hijacked or getting killed for your airplane.

FNFAL, I'm pretty sure the cops at PDK were just taking down your tail # to send a little nasty-gram to the registered owner, for breaking their "voluntary" noise curfew (no traffic after 11pm).

Got my letter a few weeks back. Expecting another soon. Cops have nothing else to do there at night.

ClassG

 

[satpak77]

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n727/a02.html

http://www.mndaily.com/daily/1998/04/21/news/ap421b.ap/


one 66 year old suspect dead (no prosecution or intel), one airplane wrecked (no seizure or use by police later) and 406 pounds of marijuana, which at even $1000 a pound is $406,000. Note not even all the MJ was seized, it was stolen by onlookers at the crash.

guy supposedly flew for Pan Am at one point. Prob had large debt and/or a nagging old lady and lost his medical. Probably an AARP member and qualified for Medicare. No other skills, but he can drive the sh1t out of airplanes. What to do? Clearly he was a high level drug trafficking kingpin.

did NORAD or super secret satellites spot this guy? Maybe Customs did, with their XXX million dollar Aerostats, located along the border?

No, some Big Bend Park ranger (probably taking a leak) saw the plane flying low and called it in.

he11, with the jet fuel, manpower used, and resources involved, we could have just BOUGHT the marijuana, the airplane, and paid the pilot $100,000 just to turn himself in, and the tax payer would still be ahead