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France not to extradite "Air Cocaine" pilots: official

Xinhua, October 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

France said it would not extradite the two French pilots who fled the Dominican Republic after being convicted of smuggling cocaine there, a government official said on Wednesday.

"France applies the rules of law. We will not extradite French citizens when they are on our soil," government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told RTL radio.

Le Foll, also the country's agriculture minister, added the French government was not involved in helping the men flee.

The minister's remarks came after the Dominican Republic's Attorney General on Tuesday requested an international arrest warrant for the pilots.

Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were sentenced to 20 years in prison for carrying around 700 kg of cocaine seized on board a private jet at the Punta Cana International Airport in March 2013.

Under judicial supervision, they had been free to move while awaiting an appeal in the drug trafficking case dubbed the "Air Cocaine" affair.

According to local media reports, the two pilots arrived back in France on Saturday with the help of many people including a French politician. Endit