Airline Chairman Cited for Drug Possession
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The co-chairman of Northwest Airlines was cited for the misdemeanor possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after airport security agents in Boise, Idaho, found a bag of marijuana and a pipe in his briefcase as he tried to board a Northwest plane on Tuesday, the airline and the executive’s lawyer said on Saturday. The co-chairman, Gary Wilson, 54, has removed himself from his duties with the airline, the airline said. Mr. Wilson, who had been on vacation, was allowed to board the flight to Detroit after the marijuana and the pipe were confiscated during a routine screening of carry-on baggage and airport police issued him the misdemeanor citation, which carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 in fines and a year in jail. The airport police in Boise declined to comment. Mr. Wilson’s lawyer, Thomas McCabe, said that Mr. Wilson was carrying “considerably less than one ounce” of marijuana and that he “sincerely regrets any embarrassment this incident may cause his friends and colleagues.” Four years ago, the three-member cockpit crew of a Northwest jetliner were arrested and later convicted of flying drunk after their Boeing 727 with 58 passengers aboard arrived in Minneapolis, Minn., after a flight from Fargo, N.D. The three were fired, had their licenses revoked and were given prison terms. The well-publicized incident led Northwest to establish a policy of encouraging employees with substance-abuse problems to seek help without fear of punishment and to encourage them to report colleagues whom they suspect of having drug or alcohol problems. Source : query.nytimes.com |