Cessna 182 Carrying Marijuana Intercepted in Obama Airspace

Bethany Whitfield

Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 01:37 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

A Cessna 182 illegally entered restricted airspace over Los Angeles, near Marine One carrying President Obama.
The aircraft was intercepted by F-16s and, upon landing at Long Beach Airport, was found to be carrying approximately 40 pounds of marijuana.
The pilot was taken into custody and will face charges, though authorities confirmed the aircraft never posed an immediate threat to the president.

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A Cessna 182 allegedly carrying approximately 40 pounds of marijuana was intercepted by F-16s on Thursday after busting restricted airspace shared by Marine One.

According to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time over Los Angeles. The fighters followed the 182 until it landed safely at Long Beach Airport.