LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Police found a load of marijuana on a small plane that strayed into Los Angeles airspace closed because of a presidential visit Thursday, officials said.
The pilot of the plane, a Cessna four-seater, was arrested after he landed in Long Beach, the Los Angeles Times reported. When air traffic controllers were unable to reach the pilot, two F-16 jets from March Air Force Base escorted the plane down.
At the time of the incident, 11 a.m. PST, President Barack Obama was flying from Orange County to Los Angeles on the presidential helicopter, Marine One. Officials said the Cessna never got close to the helicopter and the president was never at risk.
The identity of the Cessna pilot was not released. The plane is registered to David Major of Grover Beach, Calif., who holds a student license.
The Federal Aviation Administration usually restricts airspace within 10 miles of a helicopter or plane carrying the president. Pilots who violate the restriction can lose their licenses.
Obama was in the Los Angeles area for fundraisers.
There was no word on how much marijuana was found on the plane, other than that it was a large amount, the newspaper said.
