Pilot arrested in cannabis probe

Pilot arrested in cannabis probe

A pilot was arrested for suspected drug smuggling yesterday after 20 kilos of herbal cannabis was found near where his light aircraft made an emergency landing. His passenger, who jumped from the aircraft into a spinning propeller, is critically ill in hospital.

The single-engined Cheetah aircraft was flying from Holland to Cheltenham when it landed in a field near Basingstoke, Hampshire. The 43-year-old passenger suffered critical injuries to his arm and neck after apparently ordering the aircraft down because of bad weather. The pilot escaped injury but was treated for shock