Man rescued in Florida plane crash is accused of smuggling cocaine

A passenger on board the plane that crashed into the ocean off the coast of Florida earlier this week has been arrested on cocaine smuggling charges

A passenger on board the plane that crashed into the ocean off the coast of Florida earlier this week has been arrested on cocaine smuggling charges.

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Jonathan Gardiner, one of the 11 Bahamian adults rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Air Force on Tuesday, was charged with one count of cocaine import conspiracy for allegedly smuggling cocaine since 2023, according to a federal complaint.

The complaint, which also refers to Gardiner as “Player,” alleges that he was carrying a brown paper bag containing $30,000 in Bahamian currency. The cash was labeled with the name of a Bahamian politician who was previously allegedly connected with receiving a large shipment of cocaine from Colombia, the complaint said. Gardiner also had three phones on him when the plane went down this week, according to prosecutors.