California Man Stole Two Airplanes High on Meth, Without a Pilot’s License
Here’s a crime you don’t hear about every day: A 38-year-old California man snagged a pair of airplanes. He even flew one of them across two states. All while high on methamphetamine. What’s even weirder is that he has no pilot’s license.
No, this isn’t a parked car stolen from an airport. The entire plane got nabbed.
The FBI first got wind of the plane theft spree when a single-engine aircraft disappeared from Auburn Municipal Airport in Washington State, on January 3rd.
Normally, airplanes have a transponder unit broadcasting their signal to air traffic controllers. The FBI explained, “The transponder had been manipulated during the flight in order to conceal where the plane had been over a three-day period.”
An untraceable, stolen plane is a major security risk. So the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force began hunting for the craft. Witnesses report it had landed in Kelso, Washington, with a couple on board. But it had flown away again.
On January 6th, authorities recovered the stolen plane. It was parked at an airport in Corona, California. That’s over 1,000 miles away.
Staking out the airport
At this point, the officers may have suspected they were dealing with a seasoned pilot—even a professional airport theft team. FBI agents staked out the Corona Municipal Airport. But as days turned to weeks, they may have begun to suspect it was a dead end.
Then on January 27th, 38-year-old Christian Estoque rolled up to the airport. He started a different aircraft, which hadn’t been registered since 2017. The FBI reported, “At that time, agents concluded Estoque was in the process of stealing the plane and took him into custody.”
Estoque admitted to stealing the first plane. What’s wild is he doesn’t have a pilot’s license, isn’t listed on either plane’s registration, and admitted to officers he was under the influence of methamphetamine while operating the plane.
Estoque is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, but has been released on bond. I guess the judge doesn’t think he’s a flight risk. Anyone with more information should contact the FBI.
