Cocaine Air: Smugglers At 30000 Ftexplores how four men were apprehended in the Dominican Republic on suspicion of transporting an astounding haul of drugs, but pilot Pascal Fauret’s ordeal is more fantastical than anyone could have imagined.Netflix’s new French documentarywas released on June 11, and was created by Oliver Bouchara and directed by Maxime Bonnet and Jerome Pierrat.Cocaine Air: Smugglers At 30000 Fttells the story of the astounding 2013 case, chronicling the suspects' arrests, trial, and their escape from the Dominican Republic to France in 2015.
Pilots Fauret and Bruno Odos have emerged as the two most infamous figures of the case at the heart ofCocaine Air: Smugglers At 30000 Ft.Before becoming pilots within the business aviation industry, the pair were recognized as well-behaved citizens with no suspicion to their names. Within their military careers, Fauret and Odos held some of the highest responsibilities an air force pilot can hold,having been trusted with the responsibility of nuclear weapon delivery. As such, the pair’s association with crime came as a shock to many who regarded them as admirable figures within French society.
Pilot Pascal Fauret’s Arrest & Charges In 2013 Explained
Fauret & Four Others Were Seized By Dominican Authorities
As the pair reached retirement age,both Fauret and Odos found themselves shifting into the burgeoning business aviation industry, becoming the pilots of private jet flights. They were recruited by S.N.T.H.S., the company owned by Fabrice Alcoud and Pierre-Marc Dreyfus, finding themselves the pilots of a Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft owned by French businessman Alain Affielou. As private jet pilots, both Fauret and Odos stated that they chose never to scrutinize their passengers or cargo, simply to transport them to their destinations.
This decision seemingly had consequences on July 15, 2025, as the pair of pilots, their backup pilot Alain Castany and passenger Nicolas Pisapia were apprehended by Dominican Republic authorities as they seized their aircraft on suspicion that they had been part of a larger drug trafficking operation. 26 Suitcases that held 1,500 lbs of Cocaine were seized, a haul that would be worth $20 million. The four suspects were immediately taken into custody and placed on trial in the Dominican Republic.
Despite pleading their innocence and ignorance of what they were carrying, even French magistrate Christine Saunier-Ruellan was unconvinced by their arguments, and questioned why neither of them chose to question their cargo or were suspicious of their cargo’s weight or smell. Furthermore,Castany and Pisapia’s alibis didn’t hold up when placed under scrutiny, further lessening the impact of their arguments with the authorities. While their legal defense argued the flight had been set up as a scapegoat by the Dominican National Drug Council, the pilots and passengers were found guilty in court.
Fauret, Odos, Castany, and Pisapia were each given sentences of 20 years in prison in the Dominican Republic. With the prison’s squalid conditions and brutal culture among those incarcerated there, both pilots stated that they were fearful that they would pass away during their sentence, never leaving the country. However, all four prisoners were granted parole shortly into their sentence, with Fauret, Odos, Castany, and Pisapia being placed under house arrest, but required to attend monthly meetings and forbidden to leave the country.
Fauret Escaped From The Dominican Republic To France In 2015
Fauret’s Connections Presented An Opportunity
However, Fauret’s military career proved to be their salvation, as his ordeal was recognized bya former acquaintance and aviation safety expert, Christophe Naudin, who enlisted the aid of former MEP Aymeric Chauprade and former soldier Pierre Malinkowskito embark on a rescue mission when diplomatic negotiations failed. Naudin and Chauprade met with the two pilots in the Dominican Republic in 2015 to assess their situation and question whether Fauret and Odos were willing to accept their offer, to which the pair agreed after realizing their options were dwindling.
After Fauret quickly shot down an idea for a helicopter extraction that would take them into international waters, Malinkowski,Chauprade, and Naudin arranged for a fisherman to transport the former soldier, MEP, and two pilots across the coastlineunder the guise of a tourist trip from the port of Bayahibe. Once onboard the boat, a nervous Fauret and Odos witnessed Malinkowski coerce the boat driver into taking them to national waters to reunite with Naudin on a sailboat.
After the French authorities became aware of the pair’s arrival in the country, the two pilots were soon taken into custody.
Despite their own speedboat seeing its rotor become jammed with seaweed, requiring Naudin’s vessel to enter Dominican Republic territory to retrieve them, both pilots were extracted and taken into French territory.After boarding a covert flight manned by several of Naudin’s associates, the pair landed on French soil. However, after the French authorities became aware of the pair’s arrival in the country, the two pilots were soon taken into custody and placed into preventive detention.
After An Appeal In France, Fauret Was Acquitted Of All Charges In 2021
Fauret Was Still Placed On Trial Upon His Return
While Fauret had hoped a return to France would allow them to plead their case to a system that they saw as fairer when compared to that of the Dominican Republic, new information revealed during the French investigation cast doubts on their innocence. Despite earning support in France, it was revealed thatthe four suspects in the “Cocaine Air” case were already under suspicion for two previous flightsthat matched the journey they were arrested during in 2013, where they were witnessed unloading suspicious cargo comparable to the 26 suitcases of cocaine. Fauret’s involvement was further scrutinized in separate evidence.
As authorities delved into Fauret’s personal effects, it was discovered that there had beenconversations between Alcoud and Fauret over the phone where it was implied that he had some awareness of what he had been carrying, and that he had been providing insight into the status of the cargo. Furthermore, both pilots had their devices bugged, where they were implied to have discussed the nature of their mission. As such, come the day of the verdict on June 24, 2025, the pair were once more found guilty.
Fauret, Odos, Alcoud, and Dreyfus were charged with importing and attempting to import cocaine in an organized gang, and sentenced to six years in prison, while connected figures Frank Colin and Ali Bouchareb each received 12-year and 18-year prison sentences, respectively. However, in 2021, Fauret and Odos' legal defense assembled a 19-question refutation of the first trial that argued none of it had been the pilots' responsibility. As such, both pilots were acquitted of their charges and released.
Fauret Lives In France With His Family Today, Even Though The Dominican Republic Still Considers Him Guilty
The Country Is Determined To Hold Fauret Accountable
Today,Fauret enjoys freedom in France and a quiet life with his family in the Greater Lyon Area, though his troubles are not entirely behind him. Alongside having yet to return to flying after their ordeal, he, Odos, Malinkowski, Chauprade, and Naudin have international arrest warrants by the Dominican Republic demanding their extradition should they leave the country. Furthermore, withCocaine Air: Smugglers At 30000 Ftpresenting several arguments against his innocence, theNetflix crime documentarywill likely raise further discussion about his involvement among viewers across the globe.
Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft.
A private jet bound for Saint-Tropez becomes the epicenter of an international scandal when authorities in the Dominican Republic discover 700 kilograms of cocaine hidden in 26 suitcases. The four French nationals on board deny any knowledge of the drugs, sparking a complex legal and political saga.
