Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Military C5 Pilot Expecting 15 Years in Drug Trafficking Case

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

FN FAL

Freight Dawgs Rule
Joined
Dec 17, 2003
Posts
8,573
NEW YORK (AP) -- A military pilot and an enlisted man pleaded guilty Friday to charges they returned from an overseas mission with 300,000 pills of Ecstasy worth millions of dollars.

Capt. Franklin Rodriguez, 36, and Master Sgt. John Fong, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in federal court, admitting their roles in the April 2005 flight for the Air National Guard.

Both face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced Aug. 25.

Rodriguez, the pilot, and Fong, a load master, were on a mission to deliver supplies to the Republic of Georgia. On the return flight, they stopped in Germany to load the pills aboard their C-5A "Galaxy" cargo plane.

After the flight arrived, federal agents watched Fong load bags and boxes into a car at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y. They asked to inspect the cargo and found 28 bags of pills, authorities said.

Ecstasy is a synthetic drug considered part hallucinogen, part amphetamine.
Lawrence Carra, a lawyer for Rodriguez, said his client was "immensely remorseful." He expected Rodriguez to spend about 15 years in prison.
Fong's lawyer was not immediately available for comment.

Authorities have said each pill of Ecstasy could have been sold on the street for $9 to $40, meaning the seized drugs were worth $2.9 million to $11.6 million.
////////
 
Being as they pleaded guilty, it appears there are now two fewer rotten apples in the barrel. I can only hope that the rest of the aircrews doing military airlift are not made to suffer for the actions of these individuals. Honest people often end up being treated with a presumption of guilt until they prove their innocence following such an occurance. It is the all-too-common reaction up and down the chain of command. An unfortunate reality of military life. Good luck to our many fine AMC crews. I hope the drug smugglers spend every waking moment in prison thinking about what they did to their buddies.

Best,
 
charter dog said:
I hope the drug smugglers spend every waking moment in prison thinking about what they did to their buddies.

Best,
I can empathize with most of what you said.

However, what they did to their buddies is minuscule in comparison to what those pills would have done to society, the cost of the loss of these military men to the system and the harm that has been done and will be done to their families, emotionally and financially.

I don't think the incident tarnishes any branch or unit of the service. These guys acted, got caught, suffered due process, end of story.

I wonder if this was their first time?
 
Life will really suck with customs for whatever unit they belonged to for a very looooooooooooong time. I hope they enjoy the facilities @ Leavenworth. I hear the USMC guards really love AF types.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top