UPDATE: The man arrested in a case involving drugs on a plane at the Liberal airport has his case dismissed.

Patrick Williams was arrested after he landed his plane at the Liberal airport with a passenger and $2 million worth of cocaine inside.

Williams tells FactFinder 12, he was taking the other person arrested in this case, Ricardo Lopez, on a flight intended for Missouri as Williams is a flight instructor. He said Lopez reached out to him wanting to learn to fly and he thought this flight would be a perfect one to begin teaching.

Williams said he had taken Lopez on one introductory flight a few months prior to the arrest.

On the day he landed in Liberal, Williams said a detective asked to search his plane and he agreed, not concerned there would be an issue. He said the detective found cocaine in bags on the plane belonging to Lopez and he had no idea what was inside. He said it was never his policy to check his passenger's bags.

After being questioned for several hours, Williams said he was arrested and taken to the Seward County jail where he has been for the past five months.

Now, his case has been dismissed.

Williams provided FactFinder 12 with documentation and testimony saying the judge ruled there wasn't probable cause to hold Williams and the evidence didn't show he was responsible for the crime.

Williams said now, he's trying to put his life back together. After losing everything while he was in jail, he said he's just focused on clearing his name and moving on.

FactFinder 12 spoke with Lopez' attorney, Derek Miller. Miller said he's filed two motions including one to suppress and one to dismiss the case against his client. He said he's basing those motions on the same grounds as Williams that there wasn't probable cause and the magistrate judge shouldn't have bound them over. He said he's also gotten his client's bond reduced.

Those motions will be heard November 15.

The Seward County Attorney tells us he isn't available to speak with us on camera. However, he will send a statement regarding this case. We'll update this story when we get that statement.

--------

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Seward County Sheriff’s Office seized a large quantity of cocaine, as well as a twin-engine aircraft Wednesday evening at the airport in Liberal.

The KBI gives the following account of what happened:

Wednesday evening, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Investigations and the KBI developed information which led them to believe a suspicious aircraft would be landing at the Liberal Mid-America Regional Airport. The Seward County Sheriff’s Office was requested to conduct a ramp check, a review of the documentation and identification of the pilot and aircraft.

Just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, the aircraft landed and was detained by authorities. After contact was made with the plane’s occupants, over 65 kilograms (or 144 pounds) of cocaine was discovered. The cocaine is estimated to have a street value of approximately $2 million, the KBI says.

The KBI and the Seward County Sheriff’s Office seized the Beechcraft Queen Air and the approximately 65 kilograms (or 144 pounds) of cocaine found. The pilot and passenger of the aircraft were arrested soon after, the KBI says. Arrested were a 51-year-old man and a 26-year-old man.

The KBI, DHS Investigations, and Seward County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate.