Passenger in Oceanside emergency plane landing facing drug charges

Above: Video of previous report on emergency plane landing by Elizabeth Alvarez.

OCEANSIDE, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The passenger of a small aircraft that made an emergency landing on State Route 76 in Oceanside last month made an appearance in federal court Tuesday to face drug charges.

Troy Othneil Smith, 36, of Oceanside faces 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday in a release.

Flight records indicated that the private aircraft departed from a San Diego airport around 10:49 a.m. on Sept. 25 and landed around 6:48 p.m. that evening in Mesa, Ariz. It departed from Mesa around 11:08 p.m. that night and flew past Carlsbad around 1:28 a.m. the following morning, the release stated. After making a U-turn over the Pacific Ocean toward the direction of Oceanside, the plane made an emergency landing on SR-76.

After investigating, law enforcement learned that the pilot, Gabriel Breit, and passenger, now identified as Smith, were planning an ocean landing because the aircraft had been experiencing issues. After the engine shut off a second time, the pilot landed the plane on SR-76.

Officers from the Oceanside Police Department responded to the scene of the emergency landing and found the pilot and Smith near the plane. According to the DOJ’s release, an officer noticed Smith wearing a backpack and pacing near the plane. The two men were detained, and the initial rescue efforts shifted into a criminal drug smuggling investigation.

After he heard the sound of a backpack being unzipped, the officer turned and saw Smith reach into the bag, take something out and place it into the bushes. The officer found a heat-sealed, air-tight package in the bushes with contents that later tested positive cocaine, according to authorities. The discovery led to Smith’s arrest.

His preliminary hearing and arraignment are scheduled to take place on Oct. 31 at 1:30 p.m.

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