A commercial airline pilot has been charged after trying to smuggle cocaine on a flight. The pilot, who wasn't working at the time, was rushed to the hospital on Saturday after the cocaine balloon burst in his stomach during the five-hour flight.
Pilot Stanley Rafael Hill of McKinney, Texas was a passenger on a flight from Colombia to Houston and was not flying the plane as he was carrying the drugs, Click2Houston reports.
The 49-year-old pilot had ingested a total of 62 small rubber balloons and gloves filled with cocaine before boarding the flight from Colombia. He is said to have ingested 250 mg of cocaine. One of the balloons burst during the flight and Hill immediately called 911 after he landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport and checked into a Houston hotel.
The pilot was still recovering at Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital on Tuesday as he was trying to pass the rest of the bags of cocaine.
Hill may have been able to get away with smuggling the drugs since it is easier for pilots to get through security. They don't go through cavity checks like some regular passengers.
Hill has been charged with felony possession of drugs with intent to deliver. The police have barricaded him in his room at the hospital.
It is not clear what airline Hill was flying on or what airline he works for, but he is licensed to fly 737s. Hill's bond has been set at $500,000.
This isn't the first time an airline employee tried to smuggle drugs. A 39-year-old female flight attendant for US Airways was caught by the TSA trying to smuggle 22 grams of cocaine in October 2010. Floydrina Williams of Georgia was carrying the drugs in her waistband. She claims she was carrying the drugs for personal use. She was off duty at the time and was fired by the airline.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
