Over the weekend, a small aircraft pilot flying over a remote area of France discarded numerous bags suspected of holding narcotics after being intercepted by a French fighter jet.
The single-seater tourist plane caught authorities' attention when it neared a nuclear power plant, violating restricted airspace in the Ardèche region of France.
A Rafale jet, one of France's most advanced fighter aircraft, was dispatched to investigate. According to a military spokesperson who spoke with the French news agency Agence France-Presse, the Rafale pilot observed "highly erratic behavior, genuine agitation" from the tourist plane's pilot. The spokesperson added, "Within minutes, the pilot witnessed the door open and packages being thrown out."
Following the incident, the pilot landed at an airstrip in Lanas, Ardèche, where he was promptly apprehended. The local prosecutor's office identified the pilot as a Polish national with prior drug-related offenses.
Investigators discovered fifteen packages scattered on the ground, containing almost 70 pounds of an unidentified "white powder" currently undergoing analysis.
Inside the cockpit of the small Poland-registered aircraft, authorities also recovered approximately 45,000 Euros (around $49,000).
