An Australian pilot has been killed after his plane carrying almost 200kg of cocaine wrapped in fake SpaceX packaging crashed into a sugarcane field in Brazil, local media reported.
Authorities said the pilot was found dead outside the aircraft after it crashed in Coruripe, an area on Brazil’s tropical coastline, according to G1 Globo.
Federal police said they had identified evidence of international drug trafficking, the outlet also reported.
The fire department was called at 1.48pm on Sunday and six officers were dispatched to the scene following concerns of an explosion, although there was no detonation, according to Em Tempo Noticias. Debris from the plane and drugs were scattered across the field.
Local media said between 180kg and 195kg of cocaine was found in the aircraft. More than 187 packets of cocaine were found with what appeared to be fake SpaceX packaging – a company run by billionaire Elon Musk.
The drugs were taken to the Integrated Public Security Centre in Coruripe, according to local media. Federal police did not say where the plane took off from or where it was headed, according to G1, but the aircraft was carrying extra fuel tanks, which raised suspicion that the plane was travelling a long distance.
“The investigation will continue to deepen the facts and identify the owner of the illicit material, through the opening of a police inquiry,” the Federal Police said in a statement reported by local media.
It is believed that the aircraft was using Alagoas as a stopover on an international drug trafficking route, Em Tempo Noticias said. Investigations are also looking into whether the pilot was familiar with air routes within Brazil.
The plane was registered to Zambia, according to the Daily Mail, although it had been operating in Brazil for at least two years. No flight details were recorded.
Brazil’s Federal Police seized 74.5 tonnes of cocaine in 2024, with an increase of over two tonnes compared to 2023, according to InSight Crime. This does not include seizures by local authorities from each state, and only refers to powder cocaine.
