By Gina Yarbrough
Oceanside, CA–A pilot and his passenger were taken into custody early Thursday morning after their aircraft made an emergency landing on eastbound State Route 76, which led to the discovery of illegal narcotics onboard, authorities said.
The Oceanside Police Department received an urgent call around 1:43 a.m. reporting a small plane that had unexpectedly landed on the highway near Canyon Drive. No one was injured during the incident, either on the aircraft or the ground. According to the pilot, engine failure forced the unscheduled landing.
During the investigation, officers contacted the two occupants and searched the aircraft. Officers observed one of the occupants discard a backpack into a brush, raising concerns to one of the officers. A search of the backpack led to the discovery of approximately one kilo of suspected cocaine.
A small amount of cocaine was located on one of the passengers, prompting the arrests of both individuals, who are residents of Oceanside.
The suspects, 21-year-old Gabriel Breit and 36-year-old Troy Smith were charged with transporting illegal narcotics. Breit was the pilot of the plane, according to Assistant Police Chief Taurino Valdovinos.
“The investigation has been handed over to the North County Narcotics task force, which is made up of local, state, and federal agencies, which we are part of,” Valdovinos said.
Investigators believed the plane was arriving from Phoenix, Arizona to the Oceanside Municipal Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration has been informed of the incident and is investigating the circumstances behind the emergency landing.
