CLARK COUNTY, Ind. (WDRB) -- A 71 year old pilot is grounded at the Clark County Jail this week. Indiana State Police say Allan Richer had more than 200 pounds of marijuana on board his plane when he landed at the Clark County Regional Airport. And it's what police say he did before he landed that set off alarms.
Planes come and go everyday at the Clark County Regional Airport but Ritcher's will likely be grounded for a while.
"Customs officials contacted us -- the Indiana State Police -- and requested that a K-9 be deployed around the plane to see if it possibly contained narcotics," says Trooper Nathan Abbott, ISP K-9 Unit officer.
Trooper Abbott says the plane landed on Friday and his K-9 unit was brought in the next morning.
"Keylow instantly gave a positive alert for the odor of narcotics."
That's when police got a search warrant and started watching the plane and the pilot.
"And then when he made contact with the airplane on the morning of the 5th is when he was taken down by U.S. customs officials and the Indiana State Police."
Onboard, police say they found the large amount of marijuana. "That's a lot of marijuana; it's street value worth was close to $300,000."
"This here is the hydroponic grown weed. This is worth about $5,000 a pound," Abbott said.
Trooper Abbott says ISP was contacted by customs officials after Ritcher's flight plan sent up red flags.
"He flew out of an unknown air strip in California. He was picked up on radar over Arizona and then when he landed in Oklahoma he declared a flight plan which he did not follow."
And police say that is common tactic of drug smugglers.
"They try to do it to do it not to alert authorities of where their final destination is so they're not there waiting on them."
Trooper Abbott believes Ritcher was headed east where someone is still expecting a delivery.
"However, they're not going to get it now."
That's because Ritcher is now locked up at the Clark County Jail.
"This weed here goes for about a thousand dollars a pound on the market."
And police have all the drugs.
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