Madison County wants to confiscate $10K from owners of plane

Madison County is seeking to confiscate $10,000 from the owners of a small plane, arguing that the money was connected to smuggling heroin and other drugs.

The Cessna aircraft landed at the St. Louis Regional Airport in Bethalto on Dec. 1 with two passengers. But a drug agent in New Jersey had informed local authorities that they suspected the plane was delivering heroin, cocaine and marijuana to New Jersey, and that the pilot had a large quantity of cash on hand from drug sales.

On Wednesday, Madison County filed motions to confiscate the money under a state law allowing that money used in the drug trade may be forfeited to the state, according to the Alton Telegraph.

No charges have yet been filed against the two people who arrived in the plane in Madison County, and drugs were not found, according to the Telegraph. The forfeiture request is pending in Madison County Circuit Court.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Madison County wants to confiscate $10K from owners of plane."