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A French court sentenced seven people involved in a drug smuggling operation to up to 18 years in prison each, two former air force pilots serving a sentence of six years.
Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos had fled the Dominican Republic after a descent in a jet plane that was supposed to travel to Saint-Tropez, in the south of France, but were arrested again in France in November 2015.
In what is now known as the "Air Cocaine" case, Fauret and Odos were charged with seven other defendants for trying to smuggle 680 kg (1,500 lbs) of drugs out of the country. Two were acquitted at the end of a seven-week trial.
Band leader Ali Bouchareb was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while his right-hand man, Frank Colin, was 12 years old.
Only Bouchareb was kept in detention during the trial; the other eight had been released on bail.
Colin was the only accused to admit to having participated in the smuggling operation, but claimed that he was in fact an "undercover agent".
Dominican police found the drug in 26 suitcases aboard a Falcon 50 aircraft while it was preparing to leave the Dominican seaside resort of Punta Cana for St. Tropez in March 2013.
While on bail, Fauret and Odos managed to flee the Dominican Republic to French Caribbean territory under mysterious circumstances, but were arrested when they returned to the French mainland in November 2015.
With two pbadengers, they were found guilty in absentia and sentenced to 20 years in prison for drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic in 2015.
On Friday, five French magistrates deliberated for 11 hours before delivering their verdict.
"It is a scandal! It's political! There is no justice, "shouted people close to the accused at the announcement of the verdict.
A former customs officer, François-Xavier Manchet, was sentenced to five years in prison and prevented from working again as a civil servant.
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