Drug agents seize airplane carrying $175,000 worth of marijuana
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http://www.pjstar.com/article/20131211/NEWS/131219786/1998/NEWS#ixzz2nThXL4CS By Matt Buedel and Andy Kravetz
of the Journal Star
Posted Dec. 11, 2013 @ 4:13 pm
PEORIA — Drug agents seized an airplane and a cache of marijuana worth an estimated $175,000 on Tuesday as a pilot and passenger stopped to refuel.
Acting on information from other agencies like Illinois State Police Air Operations, the Peoria Multi-County Narcotics Enforcement Group intercepted the aircraft about 8 p.m. and ultimately found 70 pounds of suspected "high-quality" marijuana in single-pound packages in duffel bags.
"The plane had raised the suspicion of Illinois Air OPS," said P-MEG Director Dave Briggs on Wednesday. "The plane had been tracked out of California."
Arrested were James M. Epperson, 69, of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Georgette T. Heard, 57, of San Diego, Calif. Heard was booked into the Peoria County Jail on charges of manufacture or delivery of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana and possession of 2,000 to 5,000 grams of marijuana. She was released on a notice to appear.
Epperson made an initial appearance before a judge Wednesday and was formally charged with possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, a Class X felony punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison. He was ordered held on $100,000 bond.
Epperson additionally had two $100,000
warrants out of Cook County for delivery of a controlled substance, but it was not immediately clear if those warrants were still valid, Briggs said.
The pair was en route to the East Coast and made the unscheduled stop in Peoria to refuel at Byerly Aviation. Briggs said at no time was the plane or its contents subject to automatic search by Transportation
Security Administration officials or others in Peoria.
"He didn't have to go through security at the Peoria airport or anything — this was normal procedure," Briggs said.
After the pair landed and they were taken into custody for questioning, authorities learned Epperson did not have a valid pilot's license. A drug-sniffing dog alerted on the plane.
"We developed enough information to obtain a search warrant for the plane," Briggs said.
The aircraft — a Piper Twin Comanche — also was seized and may be subject to forfeiture proceedings.
New ownershpip this time though, although apparently the new chef is an absolute prick and my former colleague stated i would "hate him". Ah well, just do a couple of shifts to buy some crimbo pressies
Getting ready to initiate take off and float away 
