Plane with meth lands at my airport

AdamZ

AdamZ

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Feb 24, 2005
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Montgomery County PA
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Display name:
Adam Zucker
I ran into our County DA, Risa Ferman at the Courthouse today and she told me she was going to be at Wings Field today for a press conference and invited me. My first though was crap DA, Airport, My township, this can't be good. She told me they made a drug arrest. I was relieved to hear it wasn't a Wings based pilot but rather a pilot from Colorado and his gf who are alleged to have flow crystal meth from Las Vegas up to PA.

It was a good investigation without the assistance of the TSA I might ad our DA is a pretty sharp lady and gave a good press conference and didn't sensationalize or screw up the aviation info.

I'll try to find the video but here is an article. I've seen some goofy looking pilots in my day but this guy behind the yoke gives me a good amount of pause.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/crime&id=8095153
 
Well... Wings makes the news, not the best way though. Yeah, the mug shots are pretty grim, but in due respect, you are probably not at your best if you are getting a mug shot.

Dang those Coloradians, using an airplane for such nefarious purposes. Guess another plane will be available on a government auction. Maybe you could convince the DA to let you take it off the county's hands?

Gary
 
To the DA's well deserved credit she expressed to the media how instrumental the folks at Wings were and really gave thanks to the staff at the airport for their assistance in this investigation.
 
Seems like it would cut into their profits flying it all the way to PA. They couldn't find someone to sell it to in Las Vegas? Or Rifle for that matter.
 
Everskyward said:
Seems like it would cut into their profits flying it all the way to PA. They couldn't find someone to sell it to in Las Vegas? Or Rifle for that matter.
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Apparently the way they move this stuff is they cook it in mexico, mule it over the border and then distribute it. There is apparently a good supply down in the border areas. Cooking that crap is very dangerous and highly volitile. The smell is horrible so cooking it across the border makes it easier.

Also I think the article got it wrong. I thought I heard the DA say the street value was $270,000.00 not $27,000. So at 270K it makes it worthwhile
 
AdamZ said:
Also I think the article got it wrong. I thought I heard the DA say the street value was $270,000.00 not $27,000. So at 270K it makes it worthwhile
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'Street value' is meaningless for a wholesale operations. This still includes 2 levels of distribution profits. So while retail may well have been 270k, wholesale could well have been 1/10th of that.
 
They had an airplane with 800 pounds of marijuana land at an airport 15 miles north of my house. The guy used to run an airport. He's in the slammer for awhile now.
 
800 pounds? Phhhtt! Drop in the bucket! How about 11 tons?(though not in one shipment)
Check http://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/04/us/smuggler-agrees-to-run-aids-home.html

Way back then there was this guy who was a regular in my store. Always paid cash, had beautiful French wife and if both were in the store they spoke only French. Good customers. So ask me if I was shocked, after a year or so, to see the the near full-page(front) photo(Boston Herald) and headline about major drug kingpin arrested: Harvey Prager. He'd been a Bowdoin College student -- several years prior -- across from my store. Planes, yachts, helicopters, he'd done the whole realm. Some of his "associates" got many years in the slammer. Harvey?
Coincident with the above Link, and after, he went back to college, became a lawyer(true - absolutely true). If you Google Harvey Prager you'll get many hits. A lot of the hits will be about "Lawyer." All of them may not be this Harvey Prager, but some of them are. He experienced a hard, delayed time getting admitted to the bar in several states but finally did(though I don't remember where).

HR

Addendum: http://www.hinshawlaw.com/hprager/
(Yup, that's Harvey)

http://www.mass.gov/obcbbo/6931.htm
(Only you lawyers might want to read this long piece)

From October 30, 2007: Pilots of America:
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17349
Whoops - that's a Thread Title; go to the 10th post down.)
 
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AdamZ said:
True but again our DA is not one to sensationalize. But regardless I think I may have heard wrong as I read another article in another paper and it also recited the 27.5K figure.
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Ummm... Any person will present the facts that make their point, and unless required to by law, will not present any facts that detract from their point. Except maybe engineers - we're so thick we'll say "you should really do this, but of course there's a slim chance that I'm completely wrong".

Not picking on your DA - it's a fact of life, and some folks (politicians and possibly personal injury lawyers) are more prone to exaggerate than others.
 
TMetzinger said:
Ummm... Any person will present the facts that make their point, and unless required to by law, will not present any facts that detract from their point. Except maybe engineers - we're so thick we'll say "you should really do this, but of course there's a slim chance that I'm completely wrong".

Not picking on your DA - it's a fact of life, and some folks (politicians and possibly personal injury lawyers) are more prone to exaggerate than others.
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Tim not to take this thread to far astray but there is a big difference between spin or weighted statements and sensationalism
 
Due to Handzus' admitted use of his airplane to transport controlled substances, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office says it is seeking forfeiture of the aircraft. They will either auction it off to the public or put in use for the enforcement of drug laws.
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Not a good one for Ted, since he's on the watch list :) but wonder if they'll obtain the logs or not. Probably have to replace the interior and give it a great cleaning to get any drug residue out of there.
 
AdamZ said:
Apparently the way they move this stuff is they cook it in mexico, mule it over the border and then distribute it. There is apparently a good supply down in the border areas. Cooking that crap is very dangerous and highly volitile. The smell is horrible so cooking it across the border makes it easier.

Also I think the article got it wrong. I thought I heard the DA say the street value was $270,000.00 not $27,000. So at 270K it makes it worthwhile
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The article just said they were trying to buy a pound from them at 27000,... how many pounds they had in the plane / car , I didn't read. And why are they selling by the pound? isn't standard drug amounts measured in kilo's? That was probably a tip off there that they would get caught :idea:
 
AdamZ said:
Tim not to take this thread to far astray but there is a big difference between spin or weighted statements and sensationalism
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It's a matter of degree, I think. In all cases you're pre-selecting the knowledge you want your audience to have, rather than letting them get all of it and draw their own conclusions.

But I'm an engineer - and I think that's gonna be a DSM-IV code soon if not already.:wink2:
 
Rob Schaffer said:
Not a good one for Ted, since he's on the watch list :) but wonder if they'll obtain the logs or not. Probably have to replace the interior and give it a great cleaning to get any drug residue out of there.
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Ha Ted was the first guy I called afterwards. This actually had nothing to do with that program Homeland Security uses that resulted in the King debacle. It was a totally different type of investigation.

The inside of the plane while a bit dated is fine.

The irony of this is that I saw the plane over the weekend. The paint job is baby blue with dar blue accents. I mean everything is baby blue with the words " My Lady" painted on the cowl. I commented that it was criminal to paint a plane like that. apparently I wasn't far off. :rofl:
 
Rob Schaffer said:
Not a good one for Ted, since he's on the watch list :) but wonder if they'll obtain the logs or not. Probably have to replace the interior and give it a great cleaning to get any drug residue out of there.
Click to expand...

As Adam pointed out, it was a different program. I've only had the Feds come and search my plane...

Funny how all they found were dog cages. Oh, right, that's because that's all there was to find! :rolleyes2:
 
I'm always amused (not) when I read stories of this or that felon who is 'rehabilitated' and becomes a lawyer. OTOH, I note that these felons seem to fit right in with their prep school brethren... What the Bar does with these felons is comparable to hiring Bernie Madoff to audit the company books...
In dealing with lawyers the one characteristic I notice is their contempt for the issues of right versus wrong and dealing fairly...
Right is anything they can get away with...
Being fair is nonsense...
They are trained to beat the law, to twist the meaning of words (I did not have 'sex' with that girl), to find the loophole, or the nonsensical ruling in some schlock case finding by an alcoholic judge a 100 years ago that gets the client off or takes the farm away from the widow... They delight in putting on a dog and pony show for the typical low IQ jury and leading them around by the nose - while watched over by a bemused jurist, who if not for his appointment to the bench would be reduced to doing the same thing for a living...
To say that I have contempt for the Bar, would be restating the obvious...

denny-o
 
Thank goodness for the war on drugs. Now Pennsylvania is safe from the scourge that is methamphetamine.
 
AdamZ said:
The irony of this is that I saw the plane over the weekend. The paint job is baby blue with dar blue accents. I mean everything is baby blue with the words " My Lady" painted on the cowl. I commented that it was criminal to paint a plane like that. apparently I wasn't far off. :rofl:
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I saw it on the ramp on Friday and said something too. That paint job is hideous! Another story with a picture of the plane (and of course some inaccurate GA statements):

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/l...co_with_trying_to_smuggle_drugs_by_plane.html
 
It can't be.

According to the 'experts' around here, drug-runners only use Cessnas ;)

As usual, it is another manufactured crime. No undercover officer, no drug sale. I believe 'shooting fish in a barrel' is the technical term.
 
Dr. O said:
I'm always amused (not) when I read stories of this or that felon who is 'rehabilitated' and becomes a lawyer. OTOH, I note that these felons seem to fit right in with their prep school brethren... What the Bar does with these felons is comparable to hiring Bernie Madoff to audit the company books...
In dealing with lawyers the one characteristic I notice is their contempt for the issues of right versus wrong and dealing fairly...
Right is anything they can get away with...
Being fair is nonsense...
They are trained to beat the law, to twist the meaning of words (I did not have 'sex' with that girl), to find the loophole, or the nonsensical ruling in some schlock case finding by an alcoholic judge a 100 years ago that gets the client off or takes the farm away from the widow... They delight in putting on a dog and pony show for the typical low IQ jury and leading them around by the nose - while watched over by a bemused jurist, who if not for his appointment to the bench would be reduced to doing the same thing for a living...
To say that I have contempt for the Bar, would be restating the obvious...

denny-o
Click to expand...

WTF? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? What does all that have to do with the price of tea in China?
 
AdamZ said:
WTF? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? What does all that have to do with the price of tea in China?
Click to expand...

Seriously!

What was that all about??????:dunno::dunno:
 
OMFG! Just looked at the pictures. I can see them driving a beat up '81 Camaro with rustoleum on the fenders and a torn headliner, but FLYING A PLANE????? YIKES!!!!
 
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