Here are five new details surrounding Wednesday’s unauthorized landing reported by The Columbus Dispatch:
Occupants named: The plane's pilot Sylvain Desjardins and passenger David Ayotte, both Canadian citizens, were the only two aboard the twin-engine turboprop that left Grand Bahama Island on Wednesday, bound for Windsor, Canada.
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
Large drug seizure: Desjardin, 47, and Ayotte, 45, are in federal custody after authorities found more than 290 pounds of cocaine hidden inside the plane's tail section.
Plane tracked: The Piper Navajo was tracked in U.S. airspace by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Center based about 2,400 miles away in Riverside, Calif. and alerted other authorities when the plane experienced mechanical problem and diverted to the airport in Athens County where it landed about 2:30 p.m.
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Previous drug convictions: U.S. Homeland Security said a database search revealed that both men had prior drug convictions in Canada. Canadian court records show Desjardins has drug trafficking, production and possession convictions dating back to 1998. He was sentenced to 14 months in prison in 2005.
In court: The men are in the Franklin County jail pending preliminary hearings Monday and April 13. Desjardin and Ayotte face between 10 years and life in prison in the U.S. if convicted of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute.
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