Drug running 125, lands on road in Mexico

[ian531]

Suspected drug plane bursts into flames in Mexico after highway landing www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53306151

No trace of the registration on ADU, put it’s probably fake anyway

Ian

[ian531]

Another report on this

www.aviation24.be/miscellaneous/accidents/mexican-military-open-fire-on-a-cartel-plane-carrying-drugs-after-it-crash-lands-on-motorway/

Ian

[Deleted]

OK, here's my take on the story, having read the various articles in both English and Spanish.

The aircraft, a 125-700A, was flying from Maracaibo to Quintana Roo anyway, although the cocaine will have originated in Colombia. This is a regular drug-running route and the aircraft lands on one of the long straight roads in the area, where there is a vehicle waiting to take the crew and its cargo to the next destination - usually a small port in the state of Quintana Roo, which will facilitate the onward transmission of the drugs by sea to the US. Despite the fact that Cancun is not far away, this area is quite remote and mainly agricultural. It is also near the border with Belize, which has seen a number of similar incidents. There are long straight roads with little traffic and often not even sealed (tarmacked), so it's easy to land a 125 on such surfaces. The claims of the Mexican military are somewhat doubtful. I have seen similar stories where they claim to have accomplished things which they clearly haven't. I suspect that the crew of the 125 became aware of the presence of the military, who may well have been staking out the area. They quickly unloaded the aircraft and then set it on fire, just as people who steal cars do, to destroy any DNA. A typical price for a 125-700 in the US is about $375,000 - the cargo is worth $5m - you don't have to be Einstein to work out the economics...

The 125 is currently the aircraft of choice, because they are easy to fly, and there are loads of them in Mexico, from which the journeys normally begin. The 125-700 is unwelcome in the US because of noise regulations, so many were sold to Mexico. This one, XB-RCM is actually carrying a correct registration. It was originally delivered to Philip Morris, the tobacco company responsible for Marlboro and Benson and Hedges, in 1981 and was in the US until just a few weeks ago as N943CE before being sold to Mexico.

[jetdragon]

and another one - this time an 800 a couple of days later

258255 - drug runner