A suspected drug trafficker ditched a plane in a field near the Caddo Mills Municipal Airport early Monday morning, officials said.
According to the Department of Public Safety, an Air Marine Op Center (AMOC) plane was following a silver Cherokee Piper that was suspected to be transporting drugs. At about 2 a.m., the plane landed at an airport in Greenville with the AMOC plane landing behind it.
The pilot of the Piper then tried to ram the AMOC plane and took off, DPS officials said. Investigators guessed that the Piper only had enough fuel to travel about five miles and followed the plane on radar until it disappeared from the screen.
A ground search was conducted and the plane was found, abandoned, in a cotton field on the edge of Caddo Mills Municipal Aiport near Farm-to-Market Road 1565 just north of Interstate 30.
A convenience store clerk told police that a man and a woman were asking about bus schedules at a nearby Valero gas station. Investigators set up undercover surveillance at the bus station and soon spotted a person who matched the clerk's description. That person was taken into custody for questioning and it was later learned he was in violation of his parole from California. It has not been revealed if he is connected to the plane and drugs.
After sunrise Monday, people living in the area found several duffel bags, including one man who found it on his roof. Investigators said they recovered several duffel bags containing 89 pounds of hydroponic marijuana with a street value of around $640,000.
Based on evidence collected, police are now searching for Darin Fayne, a 44-year-old white male with brown hair and blue eyes. Fayne, who is considered armed and dangerous, stands about 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds. Anyone with information on Fayne's location is asked to call the Hunt County Sheriff's Office at 903-453-6800.
