The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics issued the following statement.
On July 29, 2025, agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, with assistance from the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Office and the Winona Police Department K-9 Unit, arrested 63-year-old California resident William Claren and 66-year-old Mississippi resident Mark Bailey at the Ruleville-Drew Airport in Drew, Mississippi. Both individuals were charged with Trafficking Marijuana and Conspiracy following the seizure of a large quantity of marijuana.
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| Bailey |
As part of the ongoing investigation, agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Drew, Mississippi, resulting in the additional seizure of bulk marijuana and a substantial amount of U.S. currency. The investigation remains active, and additional arrests and seizures are anticipated.
Items seized from the airplane and residence:
Seized cash amount of $295,495.00
Approximately 247 pounds of Marijuana
Piper/Comanche fixed wing single engine airplane
Taurus PT-22 caliber pistol
Springfield Model 67VR Shotgun
"This operation highlights the strong collaboration between state and local law enforcement agencies in the fight against drug trafficking," said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. "We remain committed to identifying and dismantling criminal networks that bring illegal drugs into our communities. I want to commend the agents and officers involved for their continued dedication to keeping Mississippi safe.”
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| Claren |
“The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Sunflower County Sheriff’s Office, the Winona Police Department, District Attorney Dewayne Richardson’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office are delivering what Mississippi taxpayers have every right to expect – seamless cooperation between federal, state and local partners to make our communities safer,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “MBN and our local partners did incredible work on this investigation and should be commended for this disruption of the flow of illegal narcotics.”
"The District Attorney's Office applauds the collaborative efforts of our state and local law enforcement agents. We look forward to holding those criminal elements responsible for their actions on both the state and federal level." W. Dewayne Richardson, District Attorney for the Fourth District.
54 comments:
There goes the high grade strain cannabis for Sunflower county. Now the wealthy white people are going to have to resort to buying ditchweed from the local thugs.
"We remain committed to identifying and dismantling criminal networks" that compete with our established/protected ones.
Why go through the headache of getting a medical marijuana card when the black market is saturated? Surprised anybody is even bothering to hunt down dealers. Kudos to Sunflower. Most jurisdictions have walked away from pot enforcement.
FUXK YEAH! I’m buying that boomer’s Piper Commanche at the auction!
The real fight will be over which agency gets the airplane and the division of all that cash.
Comin' in from Texas from over the border
Flyin' in a little Comanche
Dank bud flyin' everywhere around the plane
Could we ever feel much finer?
Comin' into Ruleville-Drew
Bringin' in a hundred keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, mister sheriff man
Fantastic job to all involved. Get them and their stuff off the streets.
I guess they are moving this stuff easier thru the new dispensaries that are on every corner? Cheaper to fly it in from Cali
If you think this corruption is big. Wait until some day someone digs into the shiny hospital and its payments in Ruleville.
Drew, MS, conveniently located a short drive from Parchman. I wonder how much of that was headed inside?
Winona is a ways from Ruleville, what’s the connection?
How long before they auction the piper. A good scrub down and I’d like to own it.
Who are they going after next? The Bandit and Snowman for bootlegging beer not sold east of the Mississippi?
Why am I suspecting that one of the CARTELS moving into Mississippi, is behind these arrests? Anyway, it's a pity they didn't crash and die, in that cheap, noisy, little flying lawnmower.
What a silly waste of law enforcement resources.
Get it cheap because according to FAA records it hasn't been airworthy for awhile. The suspect/pilot doesn't have a medical and has a hangar-home at the Cameron Park Airport near Sacramento.
For those of you who are bemoaning the bust as unimportant and a waste of resources...What if the haul (or just half of it) had been Fentanyl destined to the school classrooms of your children and our college campuses? What would you bitch about then?
The drug dog assigned to Winona was utilized. Pay attention.
Where does that much weed fit into that Comanche with those two lard asses on board? Or was Mr. Bailey not on board?
4:43 is right about someone ratting them out to remove a competitor..
Honestly, I'm just impressed two big boys like that fit into a plane that small.
Not in this quantity, they have not. Prosecuting 22 year olds for possession of an ounce, you're right. I can remember when college kids went to Parchman for less than an ounce.
@4:43 You are mistaking the Comanche for the Rutan Long EZ or the Dyke Delta. I would still love to own all of them, honestly.
yeah someone dropped a dime on these dudes. This wasnt hard working law enforcement. They are all mouth breathing bubbas. Someone got pissed off because of the lack of palm grease.
Along with six large duffel bags from Academy.
There I was sitting on the tailgate of my truck waiting to get a good buzz on and try some wings......
You hit the nail on the head, 3:35. Same with "gaming."
What if it had been Iranian terrorists hold up in a rental van? But.....it wasn't. It was an inside bust of basic pot by locals who did not get paid their cut up front. Pay attention.
4:24 PM Those guys must have had a falling out with the locals, Winona and all of that area of the state has always been a welcoming place.
4:43 his address listed in Cali is a medical marijuana dispensing facility
That’s 1 mm to 1.5 mm worth of weed if it’s legit. Why do they have $250k and all the product? These guys don’t retail it. Someone on the ground got pinched and rolled on these 2 dudes. You’d think this would warrant a lengthy stay….but it won’t.
Do they not think they are watched coming n to land in the dark. LEO’s do pay attention
Nope. This shipment was likely headed to a certain campus of higher learning where there are lots of students with pockets full of daddy's money.
That’s a lot of weight, probably headed to Memphis . Who have they retained. You will see how connected they are by their lawyers.
If the pilot is not approved (no medical) and a flight plan was not secured and posted, how many air traffic controllers between California and Drew would not have asked, "Who the hell are you, what's your plan and your tail number"?
Mexican brick weed, red hair and sprayed with chemicals. Nuttin but seeds and stems. Kinda like smoking lawn clippins
And while everyone was at the station and K9 was searching a dummy Rig from Texas, the real dope made its way to the ground in Southaven.
I doubt that he talked to ATC. Flight plans are optional in almost all cases. Either the plane doesn't have the required ADS-B or it was turned off, along with the transponder, as it doesn't show up in ADS-B sites nor FlightAware for at least a year. Fly from non-towered airport to non-towered airport for fuel. There are still airports with self-service fuel.
So according to the comments, the pilot had no medical clearance to fly. This plane had to make probably 3 or 4 fueling stops if it came from California, wouldn't it? So how does this get all the way here without someone questioning it? Unless the authorities were aware and let the plane get to its final destination for some reason.
I have flown dozens of times and I have no more traning than 500 hours in Xplane with a Saitek HOTAS and rudder pedals. You grounders have no idea how easy it is to fly. It is literally more difficult to buy a gun than to be an unlicensed pilot.
The MS fatty is the buyer. The $250k is the wholesale purchase money, but the deal went south before the sale was completed.
He is a licensed pilot, but per FAA records his license is not active/valid. It appears that it was revoked. However, he still has the skillset to fly an airplane.
FAA Public records:
WILLIAM PAUL CLAREN
3043 ALHAMBRA DR
CAMERON PARK CA 95682-7620
County: EL DORADO
Country: USA
Medical Information: No Medical Information Available
*** TO VERIFY MEDICAL INFORMATION CONTACT AAM-300 405-954-4821 ***
Certificates: NONE
I fully admit to being a "grounder" (why do we need to hatefully label others...whatever) but I didn't mention his flying ability at all. I mentioned the medical aspect because that has to do with his being legally permitted to fly. Which brought into question his subsequent permission to land multiple times on his cross-country smuggle run. Are you saying an unlicensed pilot can take a plane with no filed flight plan from California to Mississippi unnoticed, landing at least twice, refueling, taking off again, without anyone becoming suspicious?
@10:22 AM - Flight plans are not required for all flights. Yes, a pilot may legally fly coast to coast without filing a flight plan.
Thank you. Just an ignorant "grounder" over here.
You're showing your age for today's win.
Just a note: my cuticles have not been dilated in 38 years.
@11:46 AM No worries, as the regulations are very complex and the media doesn't help when they assume that flight plans are always required. Thus the general public also assumes that flight plans are required.
@9:04 I really respect you for using grounder with the hard “R” and not “ground-ah” “grizzle” or “G-word” because grounders/groundlings needs to be reminded that their place is far below those of us who soar in the clouds.
So, a flight of 3400 miles, no radio contact, appears on radar screens, no interaction with others at all, three fueling stops, one who speaks Californian and one Mississippi redneck weighing in at 421 and not a thing questioned by anybody? I fear for our air safety.
Should you have to file a "plan" when you drive your car cross-country? Check in with each jurisdiction on your cellphone?
No, 7:07. But so far the NHTSA nor the federal DOT requires us to log in when we back out of the driveway for a weekend trip, neither licenses us or rushes in to investigate our fender benders or requires physical examinations for fitness to drive.
How do you know there was no radio contact? Do you know the regulations about required contact with air traffic control? Is there a new law that requires investigation of people who “speak Californian?”
I may be wrong but doesn’t the police depts get to use the confiscated $ for dept needs??
If so, there’s another great reason to make drug busts.
Hmmm, I don't have to "log in" (whatever the hell that means) when I pull my plane out of my hangar and head to the blue skies.
How about arresting and revoking the license of anyone who makes up a diagnosis for a medical cannabis card. We are medical in name only. I personally know lots of people that have gotten cards without any records or qualifying condition. It’s all about the money all the way up to the health department and department of revenue.
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