One of the survivors of a plane crash off the coast of Florida has been arrested in a federal drug investigation alleging ties to an international cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving the Bahamas and Colombia.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Jonathan Gardiner is facing a charge of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
Gardiner was among 11 people who survived last Tuesday’s crash involving a Beechcraft 300 King Air aircraft that went down in waters off Florida’s coast after suffering engine failure.
Authorities said the aircraft had departed from Marsh Harbour on the island of Great Abaco and was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport when the pilot ditched the plane roughly 50 miles off Vero Beach.
The pilot successfully evacuated all 10 passengers onto a yellow life raft. Three people sustained minor injuries.
According to investigators, Gardiner was found carrying three cellular phones and a cross-body bag containing approximately $30,000 in Bahamian currency when he was re-secured by authorities following the rescue.
The complaint alleges the money was labeled with the handwritten name of a Bahamian politician allegedly connected to a planned cocaine shipment from Colombia through the Bahamas in November 2024 involving between 900 and 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.
Federal authorities also allege that during a recorded 2024 meeting, the politician and a charged Colombian drug trafficker discussed arrangements for moving “a large amount” of cocaine from Colombia through the Bahamas.
The complaint identifies Gardiner by the alias “player” and alleges he has been involved in the conspiracy since at least 2023.
Authorities claim Gardiner acted as a cocaine supplier for a Georgia-based drug trafficking organization named in a 2024 federal indictment involving approximately 14 individuals charged with narcotics offenses.
Investigators allege that in February 2023, Gardiner supplied a multi-kilogram cocaine shipment from the Bahamas to Miami, where it was received by members of the organization later named in the indictment.
Court records also show Gardiner was previously convicted in 2006 on federal narcotics and money laundering charges and sentenced to approximately 18 years in prison. He was deported to the Bahamas in 2014 after serving part of his sentence.
All 11 survivors of the crash were rescued after spending about five hours stranded at sea.
The United States Coast Guard said it received an emergency locator transmitter signal from the aircraft around 11 a.m. Tuesday. An airborne United States Air Force combat helicopter crew conducting a training exercise was redirected to assist in the rescue operation.
Survivors were later transported to Melbourne Orlando International Airport for medical evaluation and were reported to be in stable condition.
“We thought no one would have saw us. But I thank God for the U.S. Marine. They saw us, and they save us,” survivor Olympia Outten said during a Thursday news conference.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the crash.
