One of France's most modern fighter jets was scrambled to check a single-seater tourist plane in the remote Ardeche region on June 24 after it flew through restricted airspace near a nuclear plant and was judged to be behaving suspiciously.
As the Rafale approached, the pilot in the cockpit of the tourist plane appeared agitated. Seeing the door open, he immediately threw the packages out, a military spokesman told AFP.
The suspect, a Polish national with a drug conviction, was arrested after landing at an airstrip in Lanas in the Ardeche region of southeastern France, the local prosecutor's office said in a statement on June 27.
Investigators found about 15 packages on the ground containing about 30 kilograms of white powder. The powder is currently being analyzed.
They also found more than 45,000 euros ($49,000) in the cockpit of the Polish-registered plane, as well as in the pilot's pockets.
The incident comes after authorities discovered more than two tonnes of cocaine, with a black market value of around €150 million, on beaches in northern France in March.
Last year, French authorities seized a record 156.7 tonnes of cocaine, according to the French Interior Ministry . As the illicit drug trade increases, most cocaine now enters Europe through northern ports such as Rotterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Hamburg (Germany) and Le Havre (France) .
Minh Duc (According to Al Arabiya, Le Monde)
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