BONNERS FERRY — Pat Gardiner never expected that someone would steal his airplane — at least not from Bonners Ferry.

“It would’ve been very hard (to steal),” the Porthill man said. “The only is to fly it away.”

Police believe that’s what happened to Gardiner’s Cessna 182 Turbo, when it was stolen at about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday from a hanger at Boundary County Airport. Valued at $340,000, the plane was insured.

Police as of Tuesday afternoon had no suspects or knowledge of the plane’s whereabouts, but theorize it’s being used to transport drugs, Boundary County Chief Deputy Sheriff Rich Stephens.

“We don’t know if it went north or south, but our first thought was a drug smuggling operation,” Stephens said. “They could’ve either smuggled drugs into the United States and are now trying to fly elsewhere, or they are trying to return to Canada to get drugs in there.”

The theft may be tied to an attempted theft of an airplane in Creston, British Columbia, Canada, a few days earlier, he said. It also may be connected to a car stolen overnight Saturday from the Porthill area. The 2002 Ford Taurus belonging to Ken Tompke was found early Sunday near the airport.

Gardiner’s hanger was initially burglarized on Sunday night.

“It looks like they entered the hanger and attempted to enter an airplane,” Stephens said. “We processed the crime scene, but didn’t see much of a loss there.”

Locks on the hanger were bolstered up.

Police at 7 a.m. Tuesday got a call about the plane’s theft.

“We believe it was driven out of the hanger and flown from the airport,” Stephens said.

“This isn’t just a little theft,” Gardiner added. “They wanted to transport drugs or people somewhere.”

The plan was built in 2005 and Gardiner purchased it new.

The white-and-blue Cessna’s coding on the tail is N2183P

“So if anybody has seen a plane or a plane parked in a field, let us know,” Stephens said.

The sheriff’s office can be reached at 267-3151.