Plane from Mesa lands on California freeway, 2 arrested on drug charges

Two men from Oceanside, Calif., have been taken into custody as suspects in the transportation of narcotics after the plane they were flying from Falcon Field Airport in Mesa landed on a California freeway, authorities said.

Gabriel Leon Breit, 21, and Troy Othneil Smith, 36, were not injured when the landing took place Thursday morning on State Route 76. The pilot reported engine failure as the reason for the emergency landing, police said.

The plane was headed to California after taking off from Falcon Field, according to a report from ABC 15 Phoenix.

Officers from the Oceanside Police Department responded to an emergency radio call about 1:43 a.m. Sept. 26 and found the aircraft. No one on the ground was hurt, police said.

“A search of the plane was conducted, during which a large quantity of narcotics was discovered,” a release from the Oceanside Police Department stated, adding both men were taken into custody for illegal transportation of narcotics.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and is investigating the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.