Posted on 02/16/2009 5:14:52 PM PST by Stoat
Fifteen members of the flight crew, including the pilot, were detained today at London's Heathrow after customs officers found five kilos of cocaine in a bag.
They were being held by officers after the class A drug, with an estimated street value of £250,000, was discovered as the crew tried to clear customs following a 12-hour flight from Johannesburg.
He said: 'Crew members are subject to the same customs checks as any other person when entering the UK. Those arrested are now being held in custody and will be interviewed by HMRC investigation officers.'
On January 21, ten women and five men from a Johannesburg to London flight were arrested after £310,000-worth of cannabis and cocaine were seized.
They were bailed to return to Heathrow Police Station on March 23.
Mr Gaiger said: 'It is quite amazing that it appears to have happened again. It is still very early days into our investigation.
'I expect that the crew will be questioned further tonight and tomorrow before we will know how things will develop.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Two times: A South African Airways crew has been arrested for drug smuggling twice in the space of a month
The spokesman in the UK said that security measures had been tightened following the embarrassment of the previous arrests.
LMAO
Probably a three-strikes situation.....
;-)
SA Airways crew tried to pull the old Nate Newton (formerly of the Dallas Cowboys) get busted with a van full of pot once, why not try it again a few weeks later and get busted again.
LOL
I almost ruined a keyboard from that headline. :)
;-)
hehe!
I'm wondering how long it will be before our British Friends to say something on the order of : "Er, sorry folks, but it appears that you aren't smart enough to run an airline. You can't come here anymore"
((((snicker))))
LOL
Oh lawdy, I hadn't heard of that incident before! so funny....
Nate Newton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On November 4, 2001 police in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, found 213 pounds of marijuana in Newton's white van. Five weeks later, he was caught with 175 pounds of marijuana on Interstate 45. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, and has since then gone straight, renouncing his past and turning his life around and he now speaks to children involved in athletics about his past. He is now a member of the North Dallas Community of God.
(edit)
“It was all the fun the law would allow … and then some.” — Newton on an ESPN interview in 2006 reflecting on his side projects as a marijuana smuggler
We can usually count on the British press for some great headlines :-)
Sorry about your keyboard....here's a nice new one that comes with a furry protective cover :-)
Well, let ‘em go.
Gotta have something to do in March.
Thanks for posting. I never did a follow up to the story. I just remember him getting busted twice.
Not a fan of the Cowboys, but Nate was a funny guy. Of course that doesn’t excuse his actions.
Wonder if a “regular Nate” would have gotten 30 months or 30 years?
There are laws in Africa?
Gotta have something to do in March.
I suppose they're expected to return for their trial next month....via a different airline, perhaps?
Or maybe SA Airlines won't fire them until convicted....if then.
You're quite welcome :-)
Not a fan of the Cowboys, but Nate was a funny guy. Of course that doesn’t excuse his actions.
I've mainly been partial to their cheerleaders, myself :-)
Wonder if a “regular Nate” would have gotten 30 months or 30 years?
I'm guessing it would be closer to the latter figure.
LMAO
That will probably be their excuse at trial...that they didn't know about this 'law thing' in Britain :-)
My pleasure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.