A pilot has admitted being in possession of controlled drugs after being arrested at Heathrow airport. Wayne Sigler, a 64-year-old American from Louisiana, was arrested on November 1 for suspected offences relating to cocaine.
Sigler has also been charged with being drunk or unfit to fly while flying or working on an aircraft. Police declined to say which airline he was working for when he was detained.
Court appearance and next hearing
Sigler was placed into custody after admitting the charges at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. His next hearing will be at Isleworth Crown Court on 7 December.
Context on pilot drug testing
Airline pilots are not routinely tested for drugs, although some are required to go through random screening. Last year, a British pilot and his accomplice were sentenced to seven years in jail after attempting to import 30kg of cocaine with an estimated value of £2.4 million. Anastasios Balian and Errol Weir were both detained by border force officers after arriving on a light aircraft at North Weald airfield in Essex.
