BajaNomad - DRUG PLANE LANDS ON EL DORADO RANCH

DRUG PLANE LANDS ON EL DORADO RANCH

steekers - 5-13-2013 at 11:30 PM

Last Friday evening around 7 PM just before sunset, a Cessna T210 loaded with drugs made a few passes over the northwest part of El Dorado Ranch just 13 miles north of San Felipe. Eye witnesses told me that they heard a plane coming from the west and flew low over their homes. The plane was heading east toward the Sea of Cortez, then turned back and landed on a road about 5-6 miles back from the main road. Ranch security was called and within 10-15 minutes, they were there and found the pilot escaped and the plane loaded with drugs. There were tons of federal police and army. They offloaded the drugs and put up a army guard detail until the plane could be flown out.

I became aware of this plane landing the next morning and went out to see if it was a stolen US plane. It was a Mexican registered plane. Believe it or not, the soldiers were very helpful and allowed me to take photos of both outside and inside. The soldiers were so cool, they asked us to get them some sodas, chips and ice from the local OXXO to last then the night. For the good deed they allowed me to get into the plane and query the GPS. WOW, I found out the exact flight path the plane took from CUL. I was allowed to check the fuel level and found a total of 100 L left. Why did the pilot abandon a plane that had enough fuel left to make it to the Mexicali area, which was a potential waypoint on the GPS? HMMMM. Something go wrong?

On Sunday, the plane was flown to San Felipe by a civilian Mexican pilot for fuel and on to the Mexicali airport per the General's orders for a likely teardown.

The local homeowners hope this doesn't happen again!

vandy - 5-14-2013 at 06:30 AM

Don't these guys know you ALWAYS have a co-pilot.
Just in case your Culiacan breakfast tries to take a shortcut through your pants...

durrelllrobert - 5-14-2013 at 09:01 AM

The pilot will be as good as dead when the owner of the drugs finds him.

David K - 5-14-2013 at 09:09 AM

Good report Steekers... thank you!

[Edited on 5-19-2013 by David K]

mtgoat666 - 5-14-2013 at 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by steekers
I found out the exact flight path the plane took from CUL.

so, what was the path?

jbcoug - 5-14-2013 at 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
The pilot will be as good as dead when the owner of the drugs finds him.

I think he might be worse than dead.

John

tripledigitken - 5-14-2013 at 11:49 AM

Gotta love the way they protected the crime scene.

:lol:

steekers - 5-14-2013 at 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Originally posted by steekers
I found out the exact flight path the plane took from CUL.

so, what was the path?

Not at liberty to say right now. We are trying to locate the owner(s) since the military may take months to investigate. I will need to wait on posting the great pics I have till we establish the owner(s)

David K - 5-15-2013 at 08:17 AM

Ah bummer... :rolleyes:

Bob H - 5-15-2013 at 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by steekers

Believe it or not, the soldiers were very helpful and allowed me to take photos of both outside and inside.

It would be great to see your photos!!

CortezBlue - 5-15-2013 at 09:17 AM

Sounds a bit far fetched to me

I can't imagine wandering up to that type of drug scene and the police and military allowing anyone near the scene

Hell we were at the military check point near Gonzaga and I had my camera in hand and they made sure to let me know "no fotos"

steekers - 5-15-2013 at 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue
Sounds a bit far fetched to me

I can't imagine wandering up to that type of drug scene and the police and military allowing anyone near the scene

Hell we were at the military check point near Gonzaga and I had my camera in hand and they made sure to let me know "no fotos"

CortezBlue: Yeah, as I look back at what I was able to get, it startles even me! You will just have to trust me for now. Making these public right now is not good. I want to get to the owner first.

sancho - 5-15-2013 at 11:05 AM

A little off, but does anyone remember the story of a
stripped dpwn small jet landing around Todos Santos BCS, carrying
coke, the front landing broke and was unable to
take off, must have been 20+ yrs. back, they brought
out dozers and buried the plane, or maybe just part
of Baja lore

micah202 - 5-15-2013 at 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sancho
A little off, but does anyone remember the story of a
stripped dpwn small jet landing around Todos Santos BCS, carrying
coke, the front landing broke and was unable to
take off, must have been 20+ yrs. back, they brought
out dozers and buried the plane, or maybe just part
of Baja lore

...sounds like Mexican beaurocratic logic t'me!....expensive to get an aviation mechanic in to fix it,,,so we'll bury it instead!!

KurtG - 5-15-2013 at 11:49 AM

Quote:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/30/world/drug-plane-lands-in-...

sancho - 5-15-2013 at 11:55 AM

Kurt, Thanks for the back up/reasearch excellent, I've
got a lot of meaningless Baja stuff in memories,
gald I can remember them

Skeet/Loreto - 5-19-2013 at 12:49 PM

Steekers:

I am not sure about you not wanting to post the Photos??

Why Not???

monoloco - 5-19-2013 at 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KurtG

Quote:

http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/30/world/drug-plane-lands-in-...

I knew the bulldozer guy that the judicial forced to try and bury it, when he was digging the hole he found a twin engine plane that had been abandoned there and buried at some time previously.

David K - 5-20-2013 at 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skeet/Loreto
Steekers:

I am not sure about you not wanting to post the Photos??

Why Not???

Maybe so it doesn't upset the plane owner, who may have more guns than the army in San Felipe? Did the Mexicali newspaper post any photos? Is there a San Felipe newspaper?