UPDATE 10/27/17 @ 5:45 p.m.

A Canadian man was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for having 290 pounds of cocaine in a plane that went down near Athens in March, federal prosecutors say.

Sylvain Desjardins, 48, of Maribel, Canada, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 96 months in prison and three years of supervised release. for possessing 290 pounds of cocaine in a plane that went down March 29 near Athens, Ohio.

Desjardins and David Ayotte, 46, also of Maribel, Canada, pleaded guilty in May to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.

Ayotte was sentenced to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release on Oct. 12.

Investigators say the flight was traveling from the Bahamas to Windsor, Ontario, Canada, when it diverted to Gordon K. Bush Airport at Ohio University because of mechanical issues.

The official contacted the Athens County Sheriff’s Office, who, along with agents from HSI, executed a search warrant on the plane upon arrival. Investigators found about 290 pounds of cocaine.

Desjardins was the pilot and Ayotte was his passenger. Investigators say the two men intended on flying the cocaine to Canada to then distribute.

Multiple agencies from the U.S. and Canada investigated the case.

UPDATE 3/30/17 @ 11:30 a.m.

ALBANY, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say they've seized a "significant" amount of suspected cocaine from an unauthorized plane that landed at Ohio University's airport.

Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith says his office detained the Canadian-based plane after it landed Wednesday at Gordon K. Bush Airport in Albany, Ohio.

The sheriff's office and Ohio University police were both notified by the airport that an aircraft was landing without proper authorization around 2:30 p.m.

Authorities say a search of the plane found a "significant quantity" of drugs that investigators suspect to be cocaine.

University police say the pilot had told officials he was traveling through U.S. airspace when a mechanical problem forced him to land.

Police say the plane's two occupants were detained by agents from Customs and Border Protection and taken to Columbus.

ORIGINAL STORY 3/29/17

ATHENS COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) -- An unauthorized plane landed Wednesday at the Ohio University Airport in Athens County, prompting an investigation.

It happened around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Gordon K. Bush Airport in Albany.

The Ohio University Police Department notified the Department of Homeland Security.

Once on the ground, the pilot of the international aircraft told investigators he had a mechanical problem, forcing him to land.

Since the Ohio University Airport isn’t a port of entry, customs and border protection, officers detained the people on the plane until federal agents arrived.