You can help us keep FlightAware free by allowing ads from FlightAware.com. We work hard to keep our advertising relevant and unobtrusive to create a great experience. It's quick and easy to
whitelist ads on FlightAware or please consider our
premium accounts.
From this story I infer that a legitimate phone conversation about a business deal and a trip to Mexico was intercepted by an automated key word scanner and the large sum of cash, a private plane, and Mexico alerted agents who traced the aircraft. When their plan to detain the aircraft in Texas was side-stepped they manufactured a false radar track to Mexico to satisfy a probable cause to detain the aircraft and pilot in TN.
Not finding a mountain of cash or any contraband they still subjected the pilot to an unwarranted delay and grilling as a fishing expedition hoping to find something else to allow them to seize his aircraft.
The Congress should amend the law to place the seized assets in the general fund. This will remove the incentive to manufacture evidence by police agencies.