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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Sept. 2, 2009
PILOT SENTENCED FOR LANDING IN SALINA WITH 300 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA
TOPEKA, KAN. – Aaron Hartwell, 43, Birmingham, Mich., has been sentenced to 60 months for possession with intent to distribute marijuana, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.
In May 2009, Hartwell entered a guilty plea acknowledging that on March 25, 2008, he was the pilot of a Piper PA-46 Turbo aircraft that landed at the Salina Municipal Airport. Prior to Hartwell’s arrival, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office had received a tip from the Air Marine Operation Center in Riverside, Calif., that the plane, which was bound for Michigan, was scheduled to refuel in Salina and was suspected of carrying narcotics. When a deputy walked a drug dog around the plane, the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. Inside the plane, investigators found three black suitcases and a black duffel bag containing marijuana. Later, investigators found more marijuana in a compartment in the nose of the plane. In total, investigators found approximately 299 pounds of marijuana on the plane.
Co-defendants in the case include:
Joe Anthony Martino, who was a passenger on the plane. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 1, 2009.
Elias Gabriel Sais, whose fingerprints were on the packaging of the marijuana. He is set for sentencing Oct. 27, 2009.
Antonio Inocentes, Jr., who assisted Hartwell in distributing marijuana in Michigan. He was sentenced to 51 months.
Welch commended the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag for their work on the case.
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