WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — A man authorities say piloted a plane carrying 74 pounds of marijuana from California to Massachusetts has pleaded not guilty to a drug trafficking charge.
Hoang Nguyen (hwang noo-WIN’) was allowed to remain free on the $5,000 bail previously posted during his arraignment Tuesday in Worcester Superior Court.
The 31-year-old Nguyen was arrested Sept. 27 by state troopers and federal agents after the plane landed at Fitchburg’s airport. A state police dog alerted authorities to the presence of drugs and after obtaining a search warrant investigators said they found three duffel bags filled with marijuana, along with $77,000 in cash.
The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/HuPipi) reports that the value of the pot was estimated at $370,000.
