Not in that situation, no.

What are the police supposed to say when the pilot asks why he's being searched? "Oh, sorry, sir. Your neighbor John happens to be a police informant and he said you'd have drugs on board."

Edited to add: police deception is a highly-scrutinized, but acceptable tactic. Consider the whole idea of an undercover operation. It's based entirely on lies, but has been deemed allowable by the courts (and by most of society). Certain lies are not okay: lies that coerce consent, lies under oath, etc.