Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. OTT Release Date - When and where to watch chilling French documentary

Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. OTT Release Date - In March 2013, a private jet bound for Saint-Tropez was stopped in Punta Cana after authorities found 700 kilograms of cocaine hidden in 26 suitcases. On board were two former French air force pilots and two passengers, all seemingly innocent. What followed was a web of mystery, escape, and courtroom drama. This true-crime story is now the subject of the documentary Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft., premiering on Netflix on June 11, 2025.

What was the real incident that shocked two continents?

Let¡¯s rewind to March 20, 2013, at Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. A private Dassault Falcon 50 jet was all set to fly to Saint-Tropez, France. On board were two passengers and two French pilots - Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos, both ex-French Air Force veterans. But just before takeoff, Dominican anti-drug agents stormed the plane.

What did they find?

A whopping 26 suitcases stuffed with over 700 kilos of pure cocaine, with a street value in the tens of millions of dollars. The four Frenchmen were arrested on the spot. And here¡¯s where it gets wild: None of them fit the profile of your typical drug mule. No criminal records and no sketchy backgrounds. Just well-dressed, middle-aged professionals flying a jet to the French Riviera.

Officials with seized cocaine | Credits: AFP

So the big question was - Whose cocaine was it? And more importantly, who knew what? The case, quickly dubbed ¡°Air Cocaine¡± by French media, turned into an international scandal. All four men denied any knowledge of the drugs. The pilots claimed they were just doing their job, and the passengers said they had nothing to do with the suitcases. Dominican authorities didn¡¯t buy it and sentenced them to hefty prison terms.

But plot twist - In 2015, while out on bail under strict conditions, the two pilots somehow escaped the Dominican Republic and secretly returned to France. Their daring exit was straight out of a spy movie; they reportedly took a speedboat to a nearby island and caught a flight home. France refused to extradite them, and eventually, in 2019, a French court acquitted them, citing a lack of solid evidence. Still, nobody knows who the real mastermind was, and the mystery continues to hang in the air.

What to expect in the documentary?

Directed by St¨¦phane Rybojad and Thomas Dandois, Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. promises to give viewers a front-row seat into the real drama of the ¡°Air Cocaine¡± case. Expect courtroom footage, exclusive interviews with those involved, behind-the-scenes looks at international investigations, and a deep dive into the world of private jet drug smuggling - a route most law enforcement agencies rarely get to crack.

So were the pilots innocent pawns or smooth operators? Was someone high up shielding the real culprits? And how does over half a ton of cocaine get packed onto a private jet without someone signing off? Maybe Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft. will finally reveal the full picture.

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