A pilot who was arrested last year after landing at John Wayne Airport with more than 90 pounds of the drug ecstasy in powdered and pill form aboard his private plane was sentenced Thursday to six years in federal prison.
Gilles Joseph Pierre Lapointe, 61, pleaded guilty in July in Los Angeles to a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute MDMA, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As part of his plea deal, the Canadian pilot agreed to forfeit his amphibious single-engine aircraft, court papers show.
LaPointe had flown to Orange County from Las Vegas last Oct. 9 with an aspiring Playboy model, who was not charged, officials said.
Authorities were alerted that a plane previously believed to be involved in drug trafficking was about to touch down at the airport. They observed LaPointe and the woman getting out of the plane and asked to search their bags as they rented a car.
Between them, the pair had about $20,000 in cash they said they’d won at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas the night before, according to court documents.
The two consented to the search, and with the help of a drug-sniffing dog, authorities found 50,000 ecstasy pills and about 90 pounds of MDMA powder in their luggage, federal prosecutors said.
— City News Service