Drugs rain down on French countryside as plane trafficker panics

A French fighter jet intercepted a tourist plane over a remote region of France over the weekend, leading the pilot of the small aircraft to throw out more than a dozen bags of suspected drugs, security and air force sources told AFP.

One of France’s most modern fighters was sent to check on the single-seated tourist plane over the remote Ardeche region Saturday after it flew through restricted airspace near a nuclear plant and was judged to be manoeuvring suspiciously.

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As the Rafale drew near, the air force pilot “witnessed very erratic behaviour in the cockpit (of the tourist plane), real agitation”, a military spokesman told AFP.

“Over the course of a few minutes, he saw the door open and packages being thrown out.”

Past drugs offence

The suspected trafficker, a Polish national with a past drugs offence, was arrested after he landed at an airstrip in Lanas in the Ardeche region, the local prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Investigators found around 15 packages on the ground, containing an estimated 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of a white powder that is being analysed.

They also found more than 45,000 euros ($49,000) in the cockpit of the Polish-registered plane, as well as in the pilot’s bag.

The incident follows the discovery of more than two tonnes of cocaine on beaches of northern France in March.

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Last year, French authorities seized a record 156.7 tonnes of drugs, according to the interior ministry.