Man Had Cocaine On Flight That Was Diverted To Minneapolis: Feds

MINNEAPOLIS — A New York man is accused of having narcotics on a flight from New York City to San Francisco, and his behavior caused the flight to be diverted to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Mark A. Scerbo, 42, was arrested Thursday in Minneapolis and charged with one count of possession of cocaine. At the court initial appearance, the district judge ruled to keep Scerbo detained pending the formal detention hearing set for May 24, a Department of Justice spokesperson told Patch.

If convicted, Scerbo faces up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The incident happened Sunday on Jet Blue Airlines Flight 915, according to federal authorities.

Scerbo "was acting erratically and causing a commotion," the FBI said in a news release. Scerbo was seen walking up and down the aisle with a butter knife in his fist and was snorting white powder, according to authorities.

He had a bag of white powdery substance on his tray, the FBI said. A flight attendant took the bag and later gave it to the police.

After the flight landed in Minneapolis, MSP Airport police detained Scerbo. The bag filled with a white powder tested positive for cocaine and weighed 24.5 grams, police said.