Over 400 pounds of Marijuana was seized when a fixed wing Piper airplane landed on a farm near Tucumcari last night (Monday).

Officers from the Tucumcari State Police office were investigating an alleged plane crash just after 9:00 PM last night when they learned that the pilot was transporting narcotics. 

The pilot identified as Sean J. Peterson, 34, of Louisville, Kentucky was traveling to an unknown location, when for no apparent reason he landed the fixed wing plane a half mile off State Road 209 in the Quay County ranch land.

While investigating the hard landing, stories were not matching up between an alleged hitchhiker that just happened to be in the area and witnesses.

A subsequent search of the plane and of the area turned up 377 pounds of marijuana in the plane and nearly 50 pounds that was already off-loaded and hidden in the bushes near the Piper. 

The street value of the seized marijuana is estimated to be at $512,000.00; arrests are pending at this point. 

The narcotics and plane were turned over to the Drug Enforcement Agency for federal prosecution.