A student pilot who initially made the news for a successful freeway landing near San Diego was back in the spotlight this week for the 30-month jail sentence he received for the cocaine found on his out-of-gas Piper Cherokee. Troy Othneil Smith, 36, of Oceanside pleaded guilty to two counts of cocaine trafficking after a rescue effort turned into a drug bust on State Road 76 in Oceanside, California, on Sept. 24, 2024. As we reported at the time, the rented Cherokee 235 was flown to Mesa, Arizona, and back, landing on the road about 1:39 a.m.
Of course, first responders swarmed the site and police saw Smith toss a backpack into the bushes beside the road. The bag was retrieved and more than two pounds of cocaine was found inside. During the investigation a new charge was laid against Smith for mailing cocaine. Another man, Gabriel Breit, 21, identified as Smith’s instructor for the flight, was also arrested but it’s not clear if he was also charged for the drugs.
ROFL
Pilots have to get everything right.
Crims even more so, one slip and …
(Crims tend to be clever but stoopid.)
I’ll take poorly planned smuggling operations for $500 Alex.
Just two pounds of cocaine? Seems like he could have rented a C150 and saved a little money. Y
Dumbass move (pilot) While you’re in Mesa, get some gas.
Dumbass move (instructor), teach your Dumbass student to get some gas while he’s in Mesa
Future Darwin award candidate?
He’s a jerk!! A real SOB. I hope he loses his PPL for life, picks up the soap a couple times in jail. He could have killed himself, the instructor, people in cars…what a F-Head!! For drugs!!! They shoot people like this in some countries. Send him to me…I fix his drug running problems.
Oh! I missed that an instructor was with him - in the middle of the night.
Hmm.