MELBOURNE, Fla. (CBS12) — A passenger from a plane that crashed into the ocean off Florida earlier this week has been arrested for cocaine smuggling, according to reports on Friday.
NBC News reported that Jonathan Gardiner, one of 11 Bahamian adults rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and Air Force, faces charges linked to an ongoing cocaine smuggling operation that allegedly began in 2023.
NBC News said that according to a federal complaint, Gardiner was found with a brown paper bag containing $30,000 in Bahamian cash, which was connected to a politician with past allegations of receiving a large cocaine shipment from Colombia. He also allegedly had three mobile phones with him when the plane went down.
Officials say the crash occurred 50 miles east of Vero Beach Regional Airport at 12:05 p.m. on May 12, after departing from Marsh Harbour Airport en route to Grand Bahama International Airport.
CBS News reported that the pilot declared an emergency while en route before communication was lost with air traffic control. USCG said that crews found the aircraft off the coast of Fort Pierce.
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Bahamas officials said three people were seriously injured, and while Bahamian authorities assisted in coordinating the rescue effort, they did not deploy assets because U.S. responders carried out the rescue quickly, CBS News reports.
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USCG later identified the plane as a Beechcraft BE30. A source told CBS News that investigators are looking into possible engine failure after the aircraft reportedly lost the ability to steer or turn back and continued flying forward until it crashed. The flight, expected to last about 20 minutes, ended far off its original course. The FAA is investigating.