Netflix has added Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft, a true crime documentary about a case that gripped the French press and people.
On March 20, 2013, four French nationals were arrested on a private jet at the Punta Cana airport, Dominican Republic.
Two were ex-air force pilots, and two were passengers on board the plane destined for Saint-Tropez.
But, and here’s where it gets fascinating, on board was found 700kg of cocaine stored in 26 suitcases! The drugs had an estimated European street value of 20 million Euros.
Netflix teases: “None of them has the profile of an international drug smuggler and no one knows who the luggage belongs to. Who isn’t telling the whole truth? Who’s involved in the case? And what is hiding behind the mountain of drugs?”
In the trailer for the four-parter, one of the interviewees ponders who brings 26 suitcases for two days in the Dominican Republic?
What happened in the end?
The two pilots were arrested in the Dominican Republic, but while on bail, they fled in mysterious circumstances to the French Antilles. The two pilots were sentenced in absentia in the Dominican Republic to 20 years in jail.
They were then re-arrested, and they went on trial in France. They were sentenced to six years in prison by a French court.
In a further twist, the two airmen were then acquitted on appeal in 2021.
Incredibly, the judiciary at one point examined former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s phone records. Sarkozy is interviewed in the Netflix documentary. Back in 2015 it was reported his lawyers hit out about his phone records being examined when the only link was that he had flown with the airline at the centre of the probe.
Is Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. worth a watch?
Yes, if you’re into your true crime documentaries, it sounds like a great one. It appears that all the key people have been interviewed, and it promises to be an engrossing watch. Whether it can get to the truth is another matter.
Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. is on Netflix now. Check out our best shows on Netflix guide for more series to enjoy.