OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV/CNN/CNN Newsource/WKRC) – A small single-engine plane carrying a large amount of suspected cocaine made an emergency landing on a highway early Thursday morning after reportedly running out of fuel.
According to KGTV, the plane at the center of the investigation was being held at Oceanside Municipal Airport in Oceanside, California following an emergency landing on the highway.
Just before 2 a.m., fire crews received a radio call about a strange sight on the eastbound 76.
“Small single-engine airplane landed in the middle of the street,” the call reported, per KGTV.
Oceanside Police Assistant Chief Taurino Valdovinos told the station that the “initial call for service came in as they were having engine malfunction. So we’re not sure if it was an actual engine malfunction or if they ran out of gas.”
Neither the pilot, 21-year-old Gabriel Breit, nor the passenger, 36-year-old Troy Smith, were injured. Police told KGTV that Smith acted suspiciously when officers approached.
“During the investigation, they observed one of the individuals discard a backpack. Subsequent investigation after that revealed approximately 1 kilo of suspected cocaine in the backpack that was discarded,” Valdovinos told the outlet.
Police also discovered a small amount of cocaine on Smith. According to Customs and Border Protection, the street value of a kilo of cocaine is about $70,000.
Both Smith and Breit were arrested on charges of illegal transportation of narcotics. Authorities told KGTV that the plane was arriving when it made the emergency landing.
Flight records show it took off from Mesa, Arizona, late Wednesday night.
The plane’s owner told KGTV that he had been renting it out to a local flight club.