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.
While NORAD would not say exactly how close the privately owned 182 came to the helicopter carrying President Obama, who was being ferried between engagements in the L.A. area at the time, the Secret Service confirmed that the aircraft never posed an immediate threat to the president’s safety.
Upon landing at Long Beach, the 182 pilot, whose identity has not been released, was met by law enforcement personnel and taken into custody after officials found the sizeable stash of pot in the aircraft. According to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman, he will face charges for the incident.
Read one experienced pilot’s first-hand account of TFR Trouble here.
