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 Light aircraft used for pot smuggling strays into Obama's airspace |
Friday, 17 February 2012
 by Stephanie Boyd 
A pilot smuggling illegal drugs has been detained by Long Beach police after straying too close to President Obama's Marine One helicopter
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The pilot of a light aircraft is being investigated by police after 40 pounds of marijuana were found on his plane.
The incident followed a mid-air drama which played out when the pilot strayed too close to President Barack Obama's helicopter "Marine One".
The President was aboard the White House helicopter to get to a fundraising event at the affluent seaside neighbourhood of Corona Del Mar from Los Angeles on Thursday.
As with all presidential air movements, a temporary airspace restriction was put in place, prohibiting any air traffic within an eight-mile zone.
However, the pilot of a Cessna 182 single-engine aircraft flew into the restricted airspace and did not respond to repeated calls by air controllers.
Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from a nearby Air Force base to intercept the plane. They forced the Cessna to land at nearby Long Beach International Airport, were the pilot was detained.
Federal and local law-enforcement officers who had arrived at the airport to question the pilot found around 40 pounds of marijuana aboard the plane.
The pilot was taken into custody by police, but his identity was not released due to the continuing drug investigation.
A spokesman for the Secret Service said agents interviewed the private pilot after he landed, and determined that the airspace infraction wasn't intended to pose a threat to the President.
According to FAA rules, pilots who violate restricted airspace around Presidential aircraft can lose their licenses.
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