"Air Cocaine" investigation leads to four arrests, say reports

(CBS) - Police in the western African country of Mali have arrested four people after finding 10 tons of cocaine in an aircraft that crashed in the country in 2009, according to reports.

Investigators believe the aircraft was one of many vehicles used in a huge Colombian drug-trafficking network, reports Reuters.

Eric Vernay, a French pilot whose company reportedly chartered the plane, was one of the four arrested last week in what police are calling the "Air Cocaine" probe. Authorities have not named the other three suspects.

"The investigation is progressing, due to good cooperation between security services of other countries, including Morocco. Four people are now under arrest, and are under investigation," a source close to the investigation told Reuters.

Police believe there are more drug aircraft regularly crisscrossing the Atlantic Ocean.