Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s true crime docuseries, ‘Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000 Ft.,’ unfolds over three episodes to reveal the shocking story of two pilots and two passengers who were caught with around 700kg of cocaine on board. One of the pilots on that plane was Bruno Odos. Hailing from Isère, France, he had an illustrious career in the French air and naval forces, where he flew fighter pilots and was even licensed to fly planes carrying nuclear weapons. After years of dedicated service, he made the move to civil aviation, which went well for a while. However, the tide turned in March 2013, when he, along with co-pilot Pascal Fauret and their two passengers, were arrested in the Dominican Republic for transporting cocaine. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bruno Odos’ Arrest to Acquittal Journey was Full of Twists and Turns
When Bruno Odos was arrested in March 2013, he claimed he had no idea that the cargo he was carrying on the plane had cocaine. The Falcon 50 jet, which was preparing for takeoff to Saint-Tropez from Punta Cana airport, was found with 26 suitcases full of drugs worth €20 million. The suspicious number of bags, which didn’t fit in the cargo hold and were adjusted in the jet’s onboard lounge, raised questions about how Odos and his fellow pilot did not check the contents of the cargo. They said that their job was to fly the planes, and they were not obligated to check what the passengers were carrying in their luggage.
Their arguments were not accepted by the Dominican authorities, who arrested them from the tarmac and threw them in prison, where they stayed for about a year while awaiting trial. Odos later described the prison as a deeply dehumanising place, where their heads were shaved, they had to share small cells with five other prisoners, where the toilets were dirty, food was bad, and racism and violence were prevalent. While Odos and the three accused were allowed out on bail, they were not allowed to leave the country. The thought of spending the rest of their lives there haunted them so much that Odos and Pascal Fauret decided to flee the country, which they accomplished with the help of Christophe Naudin.
Odos described the experience of fleeing the country as a terrifying experience because he worried that something else might happen along the way, making things even worse for them. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened, and they safely landed in France. In absentia, Odos and Fauret were sentenced to 20 years in prison. In November 2015, the duo was arrested in France. They spent more than five months in prison in Luynes before the trial, which ended in 2019 with a guilty verdict and a sentence of six years. Later, an appeal was made, resulting in him being acquitted of all charges in 2021.
Bruno Odos Continues to Learn New Things Today
Bruno Odos lives in his house in Autrans, in the Vercors in France, with his wife, with whom he has four children. He is also a grandfather now. Even though he was acquitted of all the charges, he has not gone back to the life of aviation. This is partly because of the still valid conviction in the Dominican Republic, which prevents him from travelling to the countries with which it has extradition treaties. The other reason is that he is in his mid-60s now, and the job of flying comes with certain age restrictions. To keep himself busy, Bruno has turned towards the vocation of a snow groomer.
He likes the technical aspect of the job, particularly in driving the machines. He also prefers the early hours, which means that he often has to start when it is still dark out. The seclusion and being alone in the mountain allow for a lot of quiet time as well as some curious encounters with the wildlife. While he may not be able to fly professionally, Bruno still indulges himself with flying. A couple of years back, he took lessons to fly a helicopter, which he enjoys immensely. He plans to dedicate more time to himself and his family and to keep learning new things.
Bruno Odos is Grateful for the Support of His Family and Friends
Due to the media frenzy surrounding his case and the trials and tribulations he had to suffer through, Bruno now prefers to live as privately as possible. He has refrained from talking about the case and his overall experience, but recently, he has become more open about discussing the details, citing that he needed to tell his side of the story. Apart from the Netflix docuseries, he also appeared in the 2023 Canal+ docuseries about the case, titled ‘Air Cocaine.’ He recalls the support from his friends and family, which he received during the eight or so years of the entire case, revealing that some of his former colleagues from the armed forces and other friends made the trip to the Dominican Republic to meet with him.
He has spoken about the dark and depressive times in the Dominican prison and the turbulent journey following which he found it difficult to find his place back in society. He laments missing those four years with his family and being unable to watch his children grow up. At the same time, he appreciates his wife for keeping things together, handling everything exceptionally during that time, and not giving up on him. He is glad that he had the support of his loved ones, which was one of the major things that kept him going. Now, however, he wishes to keep moving forward, live a normal life, and not think about all the bad things that happened to him.
Read More: Pascal Fauret: What Happened to the Cocaine Air Pilot?
