LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - A tip about a suspicious aircraft in Decatur led police to the discovery of 38 pounds of marijuana. Officers arrested the man flying the plane, and took the drugs and airplane into custody.
The Vice Narcotics Unit of the Decatur Police Department received information about a suspicious aircraft flying into Pryor Regional Airfield on December 9.
Investigators observed a 1967 Beechcraft V35A as it landed at the airfield around 3:45 p.m. Authorities approached the pilot, Yevgeny Faktorovich of Sausalito, California, for a pilot certification inspection after the plane came to a stop.
Officers say that Faktorovich immediately became extremely nervous and kept glancing back towards the passenger's compartment of his aircraft. K-9 Officer Greg Rutherford and K-9 Baron arrived on scene and performed an air sniff around the aircraft. Baron indicated the presence of narcotics inside the plane.
Authorities detained Faktorovich and obtained a search warrant for the aircraft. Investigators discovered a large garbage bag, a suitcase, and a black plastic storage bin full of marijuana. Each container had 12 to 15 plastic baggies containing anywhere from half a pound to two pounds of marijuana. The combined weight of the marijuana totaled over 38 pounds.
Authorities estimated that the drugs have a street value of $120,000 - $160,000. "It's quite unusual for a local municipal law enforcement agency to encounter such a take," said Decatur Police Chief Nate Allen
Authorities seized the marijuana and the aircraft was seized by Homeland Security pending condemnation proceedings in Federal Court.
Faktorovich was charged with one count of trafficking in cannabis and transported to Limestone County Jail on a $100,000 bond that has since been paid.
Federal Authorities were notified and further charges could be pending.
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Yevgeny Faktorovich of Sausalito, California, is originally from the Ukraine.
A California man is facing drug trafficking charges after Decatur police seized 38 pounds of marijuana on an airplane at Pryor Field Regional Airport, according to a release.
Police received a tip Saturday about a suspicious aircraft flying into Pryor Field. The plane, a 1967 Beechcraft, landed at 3:45 p.m. Investigators with the Decatur Police Department watched the plane land.
After the aircraft taxied to the terminal and was parked by the pilot, investigators approached to perform a pilot certification. The pilot has been identified as 56-year-old Yevgeny Faktorovich of Sausalito, California.
“Faktorovich immediately became extremely nervous and continued to glance back towards the passenger's compartment of his aircraft,” the release said. “At that point, K-9 Officer Greg Rutherford and K-9 Baron arrived on scene and performed an air sniff around Faktorovich's aircraft. K-9 Baron indicated the presence of narcotics in Faktorovich's aircraft.”
Faktorovich was detained and a search warrant was obtained for the plane. Upon a search of the aircraft, investigators found a large plastic garbage bag, suitcase and black plastic storage bin full of marijuana. Each container had 12 to 15 plastic baggies containing anywhere from a half-pound to 2 pounds of marijuana. The combined weight was more than 38 pounds and has a street value of about $150,000.
Investigators seized the drugs, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seized the plane, pending condemnation proceedings in federal court.
Faktorovich was charged with one count of trafficking in cannabis and transported to Limestone County Jail. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.
The release said further charges could be pending.
Story and photos ➤ http://www.enewscourier.com
A tip about a suspicious aircraft turned into a narcotics bust at Decatur's Pryor Regional Airfield.
On December 9th, investigators with the Decatur police received information about a "suspicious aircraft" flying into Pryor Regional Airfield.
After the plane landed, investigators identified themselves and approached the pilot to perform a pilot certification inspection.
According to the Decatur Police, the pilot, identified as Yevgeny Faktorovich of Sausalito, California, immediately became extremely nervous and continued to glance back towards the passenger's compartment of his aircraft.
At that point, K-9 Officer Greg Rutherford and K-9 Baron arrived on scene and performed an air sniff around Faktorovich's aircraft. K-9 Baron indicated the presence of narcotics in Faktorovich's aircraft.
Faktorovich was detained, and a search warrant for the aircraft was obtained. Upon searching the aircraft, investigators found a large garbage bag, a suitcase, and a black plastic storage bin. Each of the containers contained plastic baggies of marijuana totaling 38 pounds.
The Aircraft was also seized by Homeland Security "pending condemnation proceedings in Federal Court."
Faktorovich was charged with one count of trafficking in cannabis and transported to Limestone County Jail in lieu of a $100,000.00 Bond. Federal Authorities were notified and further charges could be pending.
Story and video ➤ http://www.rocketcitynow.com
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