Small Plane’s Emergency Landing Yields Shocking Cocaine Discovery from Mesa Airport Flight

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Two individuals from Oceanside, Gabriel Breit, 21, and Troy Smith, 36, were arrested on Thursday morning after their small plane made an emergency landing on State Route 76. During this incident, officers discovered a backpack containing over two pounds of cocaine that Breit discarded in the nearby brush, according to the Oceanside Police Department.

Assistant Police Chief Taurino Valdovinos reported that authorities received an emergency call about the landing at 1:43 a.m. The aircraft had been en route from Phoenix when Breit notified law enforcement of an engine failure. Officers observed the suspicious behavior of one of the passengers as the backpack was thrown into the bushes shortly after landing.

No additional drugs were found upon further investigation of the plane. Both Breit and Smith now face charges related to transporting narcotics. Police have stated that there were no prior criminal records for either of the men, and the plane is believed to be a rental.

The Piper Dakota single-engine aircraft, identified by the tail number N1711T, is registered to Leadturn LLC. According to flight tracking data, the plane had departed from Mesa, Arizona, at 11:09 p.m. MST with a scheduled landing in Oceanside at 2:02 a.m.

The North County Narcotics Taskforce has taken over the investigation. Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration is set to investigate the circumstances surrounding the emergency landing.