Kilos of cocaine found on JetBlue planes in Lake City

3 kilos found on 2 different jets

LAKE CITY, Fla. – The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said three kilos of cocaine were found on two different JetBlue jets at a hangar in Lake City Wednesday.

Last Wednesday, a kilo of cocaine was found by HAECO Americas personnel while doing service on a JetBlue plane, CCSO said. Then, on Sunday, 2 additional kilos of cocaine were found on a different JetBlue aircraft in the exact same area. 

CCSO told News4Jax that JetBlue aircraft go to HAECO regularly for service. 

The aircraft are used for 3 months then brought to Jacksonville for service without a lot of advanced notice.

During the 3 months of service, the aircraft conduct around 360 flights both internationally and domestically. On some of the international stops, the ground crews are sub-contracted and not JetBlue employees.

Authorities are unclear as to whether the drugs were put on board the aircraft at a domestic or international airport.

Authorities said at this point they do not believe the drugs were intended for Lake City, due to the fact that service personnel working on the aircraft were responsible for turning the drugs over.

The Drug Enforcement Agency and the Federal Aviation Administration are joining the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

Law enforcement agencies are waiting on the aircraft’s flight itineraries to determine if Interpol needs to join the investigation.


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