Airplane Passenger Accused of Ditching Kilo of Cocaine After Emergency Landing

A passenger aboard a small aircraft is accused of trying to dispose of a kilo of cocaine after the plane made an emergency landing on a California highway, the United States Attorney's Office announced in a press release .

Troy Othneil Smith, 36, is accused of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute , a federal charge which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a fine of $1 million. Smith was the passenger on a Piper PA-28 Cherokee single-engine plane which, on Sept. 25, traveled from California to Arizona. After a brief stop, the plane departed Mesa headed back to California.

At around 1:28 a.m. on Sept. 26, the plane began experiencing issues over the Pacific Ocean and made a U-turn, heading back towards the town of Oceanside, about 80 miles from Los Angeles. “The pilot and passenger were planning an ocean landing because the airplane seemed to shut off and was malfunctioning,” the press release reads. “They were able to turn the airplane around over the ocean as the airplane and engine began working again.”

The plane made an “unexpected” landing on Highway 76 at around 1:39 a.m., and officers responded four minutes later.

According to the release, “Officers on scene noticed Smith was wearing a backpack and was pacing near the plane.” An officer told Smith to step away from the plane, at which point he turned his attention away from Smith.

Moments later, the officer “heard the unzipping of a backpack” and “turned his attention back toward Smith, who was near the guardrail on the highway. The officer observed Smith reach into the backpack, take something out, and place it in the bushes.” When they searched the bush, they “found a heat-sealed, air-tight package resting on the ground among the bushes.” The package, which weighed just over two pounds, tested positive for cocaine and Smith was summarily arrested.

“I think we have narcotics coming into our country in various ways ,” Oceanside Police Assistant Chief and former narcotics officer Taurino Valdovinos said during a September press conference announcing the arrests. “I think the surprising part is the emergency landing and how we came across it.”

Smith is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 31 for a preliminary hearing and arraignment.