Ex-Air Force pilots to serve 6 years in jail for 680kg cocaine in plane

Pascal Fauret (r) and Bruno Odos (c) fled the Dominican Republic after narcotics were found on their plane. [AFP]

Two ex-Air Force pilots will serve six years in prison after a French court ruled that 26 suitcases with cocaine were on their plane.

Pascal Fauret and Bruno Odos were arrested in France.

It took five French magistrates an 11-hour deliberation before issuing the ruling.

In March 2013, Dominican beach resort police at Punta Cana found the suitcases with 680kg of cocaine.

The plane was grounded and the pilots and two passengers arrested.

Meanwhile, accomplices Ali Bouchareb will serve 18 years as Frank Colin faces a 12-year term.

The trial dubbed 'Air Cocaine' that lasted seven weeks acquitted two others, the BBC reported.

While out on bail, Fauret and Odos fled and were rearrested in November 2015 when they returned to France. Their lawyer said they returned to "seek justice".

They denied having knowledge of the cocaine, but a Dominican Republic judge said it was their responsibility to know. The judge sentenced them to 20 years in jail in absentia.