Buy Stolen Cuban Plane, Sell It On The Internet

A Soviet-era plane, hijacked from Cuba to Key West (FL), fetched a pretty penny for its temporary owner over the weekend. The owner bought the Antonov AN-24 for a ridiculously low price, then went on the internet to sell it at almost a thousand-percent profit.

Matthew Orverton, a 25-year old pilot and auto mechanic from Greeley (CO) bought the Antonov at a government auction in June. The aircraft had been hijacked to Key West. The hijacker, Adelmis Wilson Gonzalez, was sentenced Friday to as much as life behind bars.

Overton plunked down $6500 for the AN-24. He said he wanted to have the aircraft certified by the FAA for flight in the United States, but that turned out to be way too much of a hassle. So, what do you do with an AN-24 that can't fly?

Sell that puppy on eBay.

That's exactly what Overton did. The 10-day auction drew 96 bids. The winner agreed to pay $59,100 for the Antonov -- still a steal, even if Overton did make ten times his original investment.

What will the Greeley pilot and auto mechanic do with the money? He says he's going pay off his bills and become a flight instructor. Personally, we think he might have a future in the commodities market.

FMI: www.ebay.com