Rumour? Plane impounded in France

[EGNHMuppet]

What could the consequences be if an owner has a plane impounded in France due to a possible drug trafficking offence? Just asking as there's a rumour going around - not sure if it's true yet.

[JUST-local]

The last case I heard about in the UK.
The aircraft was still locked away with its registration taped over two years later!

[172driver]

I sometimes fly to an airfield in southern Spain where there's a small collection of a/c rotting away for that very reason - been there for years.

[S-Works]

there are half a dozen like that at our place in Le Juliana in Spain. Very sad to see.

[peterh337]

I sometimes fly to an airfield in southern Spain where there's a small collection of a/c rotting away for that very reason - been there for years.

Barcelona?

[dublinpilot]

Why so many in Spain? It's proximity to Africa?

It would make renting your aircraft to strangers a very dangerous business!

[Sir Niall Dementia]

On the lunchtime news today. Plane impounded and British Pilot arrested.

Silly boy

[peterh337]

Why so many in Spain? It's proximity to Africa?

I think it's because historically (not so today) parking in Spain was extremely cheap, say a tenner a week or less, and if you, shall we say, "knew" the right people it would be even cheaper

So if you had a plane which you couldn't afford to fly anymore, you just left it there...

Most of southern Europe is like that, with cars too... and houses.

On the lunchtime news today. Plane impounded and British Pilot arrested.

For what?

[172driver]

Why so many in Spain? It's proximity to Africa?

Correct. These days they (smugglers) use mainly flexwing or motorized parachutes - harder to detect and land anywhere.

[MrAverage]

Any idea which aircraft? Couldn't find news item......

[tonyhalsall]

Smugglers mainly use flex wings do they? YOu got any validation for that claim? Any sources?

Thanks

[172driver]

Spanish Guardia Civil.

[S-Works]

Smugglers mainly use flex wings do they? YOu got any validation for that claim? Any sources?

Northampton Crown Court - Microlight smugglers nicked at the end of may garden last year.

As 172driver states, the Spanish police are all over it, they visit us at work in Spain often to ask about microlight and paramotor movements as we are so close to the coast. Apparently they are the new preferred method of muling as they are small, easy to hide and can be bought very cheaply.

[Dg800]

What could the consequences be if an owner has a plane impounded in France due to a possible drug trafficking offence?

They might eventually be found guilty and convicted and have to go to jail for a while? Just a wild guess.

[patowalker]

Quote:
Smugglers mainly use flex wings do they? YOu got any validation for that claim? Any sources?
Northampton Crown Court - Microlight smugglers nicked at the end of may garden last year.

Not a flexwing, and they didn't "hide" the stuff in the wings either. They simply placed it in the wing lockers designed to carry luggage.

Drugs gang that smuggled cocaine worth £1.7m on the wings of a plane jailed for 38 years

[ifonly]

My French isn't that good but this may be what the OP was referring to-
Belle prise de drogues à Abbeville dans la Somme - France 3 Régions - France 3

[peterh337]

I did consider standing up on a table at some bar in Amsterdam and offering a confidential / discrete cargo shipping service across the water, at 150kt.

On further reflection it didn't seem a good idea because people other than the intended customers would prob99 hear about it.

No wonder these people get caught. If you are going to ship this stuff, you buy (or steal) a boat, enough fuel to cross the water, and you do it during a nice calm night. And you leave the boat on the beach, or make a hole in the bottom...

[what next]

No wonder these people get caught. If you are going to ship this stuff, you buy (or steal) a boat, enough fuel to cross the water, and you do it during a nice calm night....

Still too risky. What you need to do is to fly the guy who collects the money and kick him out of your plane somewhere over the sea. But don't forget to declare the money to customs upon landing if the sum exceeds 10.000 Euros

But joking aside: I know quite a few people who "lost" children to drugs. Normally, I'm not in favor of capital punishment, but drugs ruin so many good lifes (I still get tears in my eyes when I hear Amy Winehouse sing, what a stupid waste of talent) that I would make an exception in this case.

[172driver]

The one who's really holding the can here is whoever rented the a/c to this guy. According to the French article, he had rented it a couple of days earlier out of London (no more specific).

[peterh337]

That flying is now so expensive that pilots have to resort to drug smuggling is rather worrying.

No; it's just pure greed. I have never worked in this line but obviously if you get away with it for a decent bit of time you can make tens or even hundreds of thousands, which most normal people will never make in their lifetime.

A relative of mine has lost most of her savings to a ponzi scammer who was paying 8% per month. Obviously 8%/m has to be a scam but, as Gordon Gekko said, greed always works