France arrests 2 pilots who fled Caribbean over drug term
PARIS (AP) — Two French pilots who escaped the Dominican Republic to avoid 20-year prison terms for cocaine trafficking have been arrested at their homes before being taken to a judge.
Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos fled the Dominican Republic on Oct. 27 despite a court order to remain in the country pending appeal. They have denied wrongdoing, saying they didn't know the private plane they had been hired to fly carried 26 suitcases of cocaine.
Eric Dupond-Moretti, lawyer for Odos, criticized how the arrests Monday were handled.
FILE - In this Oct.27, 2015 file photo, French pilot Pascal Jean Fauret answers media during a press conference, in Paris. The two French pilots, Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, who escaped the Dominican Republic to avoid 20-year prison terms for cocaine trafficking have been arrested at their homes before being taken to a judge. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Another twist emerged Monday when a lawyer for former President Nicolas Sarkozy demanded clarification about reports that the judge in the French drug investigation requested the ex-leader's cellphone data. Sarkozy, who is not linked to the trafficking, flew with the private charter company in 2013.
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This story has been corrected to show that Dupond-Moretti is Odos' lawyer, not Fauret's lawyer.
