Convicted ´cocaine air´ pilots flee, hide in France

Santo Domingo.- Frenchpilots Pascal Jean Fauret and Bruno Odos, convicted of drug trafficking inDominican Republic, fled to France before being sentenced.

The information was providedto outlet francetvinfo.fr by Jean Reinhart, one of their lawyers, which notesthat the two pilots said they escaped because they wanted to "seekjustice, medical care and see their families."

The two pilots whosecase was dubbed ´air cocaine´ by French media arrived in France on Sunday, andare currently "in a discreet place," according to the website.

Fauret, Odos and AlainCastany were crewmembers, and an "intermediary" and the passenger NicholasPisapia were arrested March 19 and the night of March 20, 2013, aboard a Falcon50 jet loaded with 680 kilos of cocaine. They were sentenced August 14 and werefacing as long as 20 years in prison.

They were allowed toremain free while they appealed, but were banned from leaving the DominicanRepublic.