Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Pilot who crashed in Wheeling, West Virginia, with cocaine caught … again

LARKSBURG, W.Va. – A fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals in the Northern District of West Virginia for escaping in 2013 from the Bureau of Prisons facility in Morgantown was returned to the United States on Tuesday from Mexico.

Mexican authorities arrested Eugene Cobbs without incident Monday in Mexico.

After Cobbs, 43, escaped from the Federal Correctional Institution Morgantown April 10, 2013, authorities say he caught a bus to Philadelphia.

In Sept. 2013, U.S. Marshals discovered Cobbs had crossed the border into Mexico.

Cobbs was very illusive, using false names and living in multiple locations.

Upon his arrest, he initially provided a fictitious name, but was later positively identified and deported by Mexican authorities.

U.S. Marshals arrested Cobb at Los Angeles International Airport upon his arrival Monday.

He is currently being held without bond awaiting his interstate extradition back to West Virginia.

Cobbs was convicted in 2010 for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and piloting an aircraft without a license.

He was piloting the plane in 2004 when he crashed near the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport and immediately fled the scene. 


Authorities investigating the crash discovered 525 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $24 million.

This was the largest amount of narcotics ever located in West Virginia at the time.

"As soon as I heard the name of the escapee, I knew this might be a tough case.

The number of hours our agency put into this case was tremendous, and I am excited to see it come to an end,” said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Terry Moore, the lead investigator in the escape case.

“Cobbs is a sophisticated fugitive, who has extensive ties to Mexico.

Cases like this one is what a Deputy U.S. Marshal lives for: a challenge, a good hunt and a great ending. Cobbs’ current location is right where he should be, in a jail cell."

Cobbs allegedly did not act alone in his escape. Jamie Angel Clayton, 39, has been indicted for aiding the escape.

Clayton was arrested in May 2013 in New York and remains on bond while the criminal case is pending.

This is not the first time Cobbs has fled to Mexico to avoid justice.

When he was not immediately arrested after his 2004 indictment, he fled the country. He avoided arrest for four years before he was arrested in 2008.

That time, Cobbs fled to Guadalajara, Mexico, where he lived under a false identity.

After he was returned to the U.S. to face his charges, he was sentenced in May 2010 to serve more than 12 years in prison.

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NTSB Identification: IAD05CA025. 
 The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division
Nonscheduled 14 CFR
Accident occurred Saturday, December 18, 2004 in Wheeling, WV
Probable Cause Approval Date: 05/30/2006
Aircraft: Smith, Ted Aerostar 601P, registration: N60CF
Injuries: 1 Minor.

NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The pilot attempted a night landing on a taxiway in front of the control tower, which was closed at the time. The airplane overran the end of the taxiway, rolled down an embankment and struck trees. The pilot, whose identity was not confirmed, was believed to have incurred minor injuries. He subsequently paid a passerby to take him to a local hotel, and after a night's rest, he left the area. Ownership of the airplane could not be determined due to a recent sale. Approximately 250 kilos of cocaine were found onboard the airplane. Further investigation was being conducted by federal authorities and local law enforcement.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot misjudged his distance/speed, and his intentional landing on an unsuitable taxiway at night. A factor in the accident was the night light conditions.

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