They had always claimed their innocence.
They did not know that 700 kg of cocaine were in the Falcon 50 which was about to take off from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, in March 2013. Sentenced to six years in prison at first instance, the pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos have was acquitted Thursday by the Special Assize Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône).
For the other defendants in this trial, the Court of Appeal confirmed the sentences handed down at first instance for the managers of the aviation company Pierre-Marc Dreyfus and Fabrice Alcaud (6 years in prison) and for Ali Bouchareb, the sponsor. suspected of drug trafficking (18 years in prison).
The latter's driver, Michel Ristic, was acquitted as at first instance
The pilots were "banished"
The pilots Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos are "honest men, free in their conscience" and "they do not deserve anything other than the benefit of the doubt", pleaded their lawyer Me Antoine Vey.
Me Vey hammered in his long plea that the two men, sentenced at first instance to 6 years in prison, did not know that there were 700 kilos of cocaine in the 26 suitcases loaded in the Falcon 50 which was about to take off from Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, in March 2013.
"They are the victims of organized drug trafficking, they are really not part of a structured organization", they believed in the "airport chain of trust" which means that their passenger's luggage had been passed "to the filter ”and controlled, he insisted.
Using the expression of Franck Colin, central figure in the case, sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and who did not appeal, the pilots were "banned", assures the lawyer, they "were trapped", according to Me Vey who believes that they had no motive to become involved in drug trafficking.
The 18 years of detention of the sponsor confirmed
With regard to Pierre-Marc Dreyfus and Fabrice Alcaud, the managers of the business aviation company which employed them, Pierre Ceccaldi, Jean-Félix Luciani and Céline Astolfe also sought acquittal.
These two other pilots had also received a six-year sentence at first instance in 2019.
"These four men never condemned, quite honorable, were they not deceived?
Asked Me Luciani.
Recognizing "a sum of clumsiness, naivety, pressure", the lawyer considered that "the doubt should benefit them because it is the presumption of innocence in motion".
Acquittal also demanded for the alleged sponsor, Ali Bouchareb, sentenced to 18 years at first instance and still detained, and for his alleged driver Michel Ristic, acquitted during the first trial.
According to Me Ménya Arab-Tigrine and Hugues Vigier, Ali Bouchareb, already sentenced in Lyon for international drug trafficking, is not the sponsor of the thefts.
