MOBILE, Alabama May 4 2013 -- Police are investigating how a brick of heroin found its way onto a plane undergoing repairs at ST Aerospace Mobile.
Cpl. Christopher Levy, a spokesman for the police department, said that ST Aerospace employees found the package, which weighed about 5 pounds, today at the company's Brookley Aeroplex facility and reported it to police.
Joseph Ng, president of the airplane-maintenance company, said that a technician found the package behind a sealed panel.
"As for how the drugs got in there, that is a question for police because they are investigating it," Ng said. Citing confidentiality agreements, Ng declined to say what kind of plane it was or who owned it.
Levy said that he was unsure of precisely where the brick was hidden, but he was told it was found in a secluded compartment that is serviced very infrequently, suggesting that the heroin might have been in the plane for years.
He said that police will continue to investigate, though the nature of the case will make it hard to find who put it in the plane.
Heroin prices in America have fallen in recent years but remain high compared to other countries. According to the United Nation's most recent report on the global drug trade, the price of heroin varies widely, but typically sells for about $130 per gram.
At that price, the brick found at ST Aerospace would have a street value of about $294,000.
Source: AL.com