Courtesy of Courier Mail

A SINGLE-ENGINE plane crammed full of illegal drugs was intercepted by federal fighter jets today after it strayed into the airspace of Marine One — while President Barack Obama was on board — near Los Angeles International Airport.

The incident ended when the pair of F-16 fighter jets successfully escorted the plane to the ground. Local law enforcement boarded the plane and found it be part of a marijuana smuggling operation.

Sources said that authorities found more than 20 pounds (10 kilograms) of marijuana aboard the aircraft.

The President was never in danger, sources told NBC.

“Two F-16 fighters scrambled out of March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, California, to respond to a temporary flight restriction violation by a Cessna 182 aircraft over Los Angeles,” the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement Thursday.

“After intercepting the aircraft, the F-16s followed it until it landed without incident at approximately 12:30pm MST, where the plane was met by local law enforcement.”

Mr Obama was returning to the Los Angeles airport for a flight to San Francisco when the plane was intercepted.

Mr Obama had been in Los Angeles for a fundraising concert featuring the Foo Fighters.