Pilot ejects marijuana in flight from Charlotte-area airport, affidavit says

Affidavit on Saad Subhi Basha http://media.cmgdigital.com/Saad_Basha.pdf 


A pilot is accused of ejecting “dozens of pounds of marijuana” from a plane in 2013 after taking off from a Charlotte-area airport, according to a complaint filed in federal court this week.

Saad Subhi Basha is accused of flying multiple times between California and North Carolina, “knowing in advance that he was transporting marijuana.” He’s accused of being part of a conspiracy to distribute the drug and proceeds from drug trafficking in Mecklenburg and Union counties, according to the federal complaint filed by a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

Basha faces charges of drug trafficking and money laundering, according to the complaint. A third charge, structuring, stems from allegations that Basha made multiple cash withdrawals of less than $10,000 from his personal and business accounts to “avoid law enforcement detection.”

The federal complaint focuses on alleged activities in February and March 2013.

The complaint states that on March 17, 2013, government officials encountered Basha at an airport in the Charlotte region. He then took off in a plane, where an Federal Aviation Administration official observed him ejecting drugs from the aircraft, the complaint states. The document doesn’t identify the airport where Basha was seen.

Days earlier, Basha reportedly received four deposits of $9,900 into his personal and checking accounts, which federal authorities described as “advance payments for his services of transporting marijuana.”

The federal complaint said several witnesses have talked with law enforcement officials about Basha’s alleged involvement with drug trafficking. In all, investigators said “the amount of marijuana known” to Basha was between 100 and 400 kilograms. That translates roughly to between 220 and 880 pounds.

Story: http://www.charlotteobserver.com

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