Student pilot in SR-76 emergency plane landing sentenced to prison for drug trafficking
Above: Video of previous report on emergency plane landing by Elizabeth Alvarez.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A student pilot forced to make an emergency landing on State Route 76 in Oceanside last year was sentenced to 30 months in prison for drug trafficking.
Troy Othneil Smith, 36, of Oceanside, admitted to two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, the United States Department of Justice said in a news release Wednesday.
On Sept. 25, 2024, the private aircraft departed from Mesa, Ariz. around 11:08 p.m. and flew past Carlsbad around 1:28 a.m. the following morning, according to flight records. After making a U- U-turn over the Pacific Ocean toward the direction of Oceanside, the plane made an emergency landing on SR-76 around 1:39 a.m.
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When authorities arrived on scene, they found the pilot, identified as Gabriel Breit, and Smith near the plane. An Oceanside police officer noticed Smith wearing a backpack and pacing near the plane, per the DOJ. The two men were detained as the rescue efforts turned into a criminal drug investigation.
One count of Smith's charges is connected to the emergency landing, while the other is related to Smith's mailing of cocaine through the United States Postal Service in 2023.
Smith also admitted to relevant conduct discovered during the course of the investigation of at least two other occasions wherein Smith mailed cocaine through the U.S. Postal Service, according to his plea agreement.
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