Coca-Cola Billionaire Arrested After 5,000 Cannabis Plants Were Found on His Private Jet

The Greek jetsetter was hauling quite the stash

It was a Coca-Cola Cannabis bust.
It was a Coca-Cola Cannabis bust.
Vivien Killilea/Getty

A Greek billionaire who owes his fortune in part to Coca-Cola was arrested last week when authorities discovered a massive amount of cannabis on his private jet.

Alkiviades “Alki” David, an Isle of Man resident, was detained on the Caribbean Island of St Kitts after a search by the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport revealed approximately 5,000 plants, seeds and other cannabis products, the Vancouver Sun reported.

David is a member of the wealthy Leventis family, owners of the biggest commercial bottling facilities in Europe. The family’s net worth has reportedly skyrocketed to £4.6 billion (nearly $6 billion). David’s own net worth is estimated at £2.6 billion ($3.4 billion).

The 50-year-old billionaire has been charged with Possession with Intent to Supply, Possession of Controlled Drugs, and Importation of a Controlled Drug into the Federation. He was released after paying a cash bail of $30,000 and is due to appear at Basseterre Magistrate Court on Tuesday. He has also been ordered to surrender all travel documents and has been reporting daily to the Frigate Bay Police Station since his first court appearance on May 10.

The cannabis-related items found on David’s jet were reportedly for his medical cannabis company, SwissX. The brand specializes in CBD products, which are not intoxicating. According to the Vancouver Sun, David has claimed that the plants uncovered by the authorities are “pure hemp,” which is legal and contains only negligible amounts of THC.

Meanwhile, this isn’t David’s first brush with the law. Last month, he was ordered to pay £8.5 million after a former employee sued him for sexual harassment. According to The Sun, Chastity Jones accused her former employer of groping her, and claims he fired her after she refused to comply with his sexual demands.

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