SMALL PLANE CARRYING POT CRASHES AFTER CHASE WITH CUSTOMS OFFICIALS

DETROIT (AP) -- A small plane loaded with marijuana crashed in a baseball
field Sunday night after being chased from Texas by U.S. Customs planes.
Residents ran to help, but some fled with bundles of drugs while the pilot
was dying, witnesses said.

Three Customs planes had been chasing the aircraft -- carrying 300 pounds
of marijuana -- since El Paso, Texas, Fire Chief Lee Moore said. The pilot
apparently ran low on fuel before crashing in the field, about 1,500 miles
from El Paso.

Customs officials began following the plane in Texas as part of a routine
surveillance operation, authorities said. Customs officials often follow
planes near the U.S. and Mexican border, said Moore, who believes the pilot
was trying to get to Canada.

"I'm assuming in his desperation there was an attempt to stop in this
field," Moore said.

Customs officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Neighbor Gloria Johnson said she heard a boom, saw the plane hit a tree and
then crash into the field. She said the pilot was still alive when
neighbors ran to help.

"There were big bundles of drugs and money all around the plane," Ms.
Johnson said. "The bundles of marijuana looked like two big suitcases."

Ms. Johnson said she saw people leave the scene with some of the packages.

"A couple of guys came to help, then grabbed the bags of drugs and left,"
Johnson said. Police would not confirm that.

The plane was upside-down and missing its tail after the crash. About 20
firefighters and police officers flipped it over and extracted the pilot's
body.

No one else was believed to be aboard the plane, Moore said.