An Air Force sergeant arrested by Spanish police over allegedly trying to smuggle three bags full of cocaine into Spain was part of the Jair Bolsonaro's G20 plane entourage, Brazilian officials have confirmed.

A Spanish police source told Reuters the sergeant was arrested after officers discovered 39 kilograms of cocaine in three pieces of luggage, which police checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Japan for the G20 Summit.

Brazil's Air Force said the sergeant worked as cabin crew on a support aircraft and was not on Mr Bolsonaro's presidential plane.

Vice-President Hamilton Mourao confirmed the sergeant was supporting Mr Bolsonaro's trip to Japan for this week's G20 meeting and had been assigned to remain in Spain before embarking on the president's plane for the final leg of his return trip.

"Obviously, given the quantity of the drug he was carrying, he didn't buy it on the corner and bring it, right? He was working as a mule. A well-qualified mule, so to speak," said Mr Mourao.

On Twitter, Mr Bolsonaro said he had been informed of the arrest by the Defence Minister and ordered "immediate cooperation with Spanish police."

The Brazilian Government says it is cooperating with Spanish investigators and has opened its own probe.

The head of Brazil's security cabinet, general Augusto Heleno, said it was "bad luck" that the incident occurred at such an inopportune moment. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested a member of the Brazilian Air Force who carried three bags full of cocaine on a military plane to Seville hours before President Jair Bolsonaro’s was scheduled to take a stopover there, police and officials said on Wednesday.

The Brazilian Air Force said in a statement the airman was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and the case was also being investigated by the country’s military police.

A Spanish police source told Reuters officers discovered 39 kg (85.98 lb) of the drug in three pieces of luggage, which they checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Tokyo.

Various media outlets in Spain and Brazil said the man, a sergeant, was part of an Air Force group supporting Bolsonaro’s trip to Japan for this week’s G20 meeting, but neither Brazilian nor Spanish officials could immediately confirm that.

In a tweet, Bolsonaro said he had been informed of Tuesday’s arrest by the defense minister and ordered “immediate cooperation with Spanish police”, but made no reference to his itinerary, which has since been modified.

Bolsonaro’s original official itinerary listed Seville as a stopover on Tuesday night, but the latest published version mentioned Lisbon. </s> A BRAZILIAN soldier has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine aboard the military convoy of president Jair Bolsonaro.

The airforce sergeant was found carrying 39 kilogrammes of the Class A drug at Sevilla airport yesterday.

The narcotics were found hidden inside an Embraer 190 aircraft being used by the Brazilian Air Force to transport military personnel who were accompanying Bolsonaro on his trip to Japan.

The plane, which the Brazilian president would use as a backup, made a stop in Sevilla from Brasilia.

Investigators believe the final destination of the cocaine was Spain and that the sergeant – and probably other soldiers from the same unit – were bribed to accept the batch on the official plane.

Bolsonaro and his closest advisers travelled to Osaka on an Airbus 319 and had stopped over in Lisbon.

The controversial leader, who famously labelled himself a proud homophobe, said on Twitter that he would work in full collaboration with Spanish police.

The sergeant suspect is being held by the Guardia Civil in the Andalucian capital and will be brought before a judge on Thursday.

He did not have diplomatic immunity.

The embarrassing event comes after Bolsonaro has vowed to crack down on drugs in Brazil.

He promised to ramp up the military’s role in the drug war by giving security forces more power to shoot and kill armed criminals and is making it easier for everyday citizens to buy guns. </s> A Brazilian Air Force officer travelling with President Jair Bolsonaro for G20 summit in Tokyo was arrested late on Tuesday in Spain after being caught with 39 kilograms of cocaine stuffed in his suitcase.

The Brazilian Air Force plane was stopped in Seville, Spain, during security check the airman was being found with 39 kilograms of cocaine in 37 bags inside his small suitcase.

The officer was identified as 38-year-old Sergeant Silva Rodrigues, according to CNN affiliate Record TV.

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro who was travelling on separate plane on Tuesday through his Twitter asked Air Force officer to cooperate with Spain authorities and if found guilty, the officer will ”be judged and convicted by law.” </s> RIO DE JANEIRO/MADRID — Spanish police have arrested a member of the Brazilian Air Force who carried three bags full of cocaine on a military plane to Seville hours before President Jair Bolsonaro’s was scheduled to take a stopover there, police and officials said on Wednesday.

The Brazilian Air Force said in a statement the airman was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and the case was also being investigated by the country’s military police.

A Spanish police source told Reuters officers discovered 39 kg (86 lbs) of the drug in three pieces of luggage, which they checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Tokyo.

The suspect was supporting Bolsonaro’s trip to Japan for this week’s G20 meeting, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told journalists in Brasilia. The airman had been assigned to remain in Spain and embark on the president’s plane for the final leg of his return trip.

“Obviously, given the quantity of the drug he was carrying, he didn’t buy it on the corner and bring it, right? He was working as a mule. A well qualified mule, so to speak,” said Mourao.

Bolsonaro’s original official itinerary listed Seville as a stopover on Tuesday night, but an updated version cited Lisbon.

In a tweet, Bolsonaro said he had been informed of Tuesday’s arrest by the defence minister and ordered “immediate cooperation with Spanish police.” </s> A crew member from a Brazilian military plane used to arrange travel for the president was arrested in Spain with a bagful of cocaine in his luggage. The Brazilian leader said the man was not from “his team.”

The Air Force service member was arrested by Spain’s Civil Guard on Tuesday at Seville airport, where the plane stopped before flying to Osaka for the upcoming G20 summit. According to El Pais, the illegal cargo was found inside a bag of Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues, during a mandatory check. Spanish customs authorities discovered 37 packages of cocaine each weighing over a kilo, or about 39kg in total, which the Brazilian reportedly didn’t even bother to properly hide before trying to enter the country.

The failed smuggler was arrested while the rest of the crew left for Japan the same afternoon. The aircraft will be used as a backup plane for President Jair Bolsonaro after the end of the G20 summit.

Spanish law enforcement is now trying to establish the intended destination of the narcotics. The Brazilian Defense Ministry pledged to cooperate with the investigation.

The Brazilian president denounced the arrested person. “Although not related to my team, yesterday’s episode in Spain is unacceptable,” he tweeted, adding that an attempt to use government transport for drug trafficking was “disrespect to our country.”

The plane with Bolsonaro on board, which was scheduled to land in Seville before flying to Japan, slightly changed its course after the incident. Lisbon was used for a stopover instead, with the president’s office offering no explanation for the change.

The scandal may be particularly embarrassing for the president, whose administration enacted tougher policies on drug-related crimes earlier this month, which were passed by the parliament in May. The new rules raise the minimum penalty for traffickers and require users to undergo rehabilitation regardless of their wishes as long as a family member agrees to it. Bolsonaro, who was elected on a law-and-order platform, is an avowed critic of drug liberalization.

If you like this story, share it with a friend! </s> A crew member from. The Brazilian leader said the man was not from "his team."The Air Force service member was arrested by Spain's Civil Guard on Tuesday at Seville airport, According to El Pais, the illegal cargo was found inside a bag of Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues, during a mandatory check. Spanish customs authorities discovered 37 packages of cocaine each weighing over a kilo, or about 39kg in total, which the Brazilian reportedlyThe failed smuggler was arrested while the rest of the crew left for Japan the same afternoon. The aircraft will be used as a backup plane for President Jair Bolsonaro after the end of the G20 summit.Spanish law enforcement is now trying to establish the intended destination of the narcotics. The Brazilian Defense Ministry pledged to cooperate with the investigation.The Brazilian president denounced the arrested person. "Although not related to my team, yesterday's episode in Spain is unacceptable," he tweeted, adding that an attempt to use government transport for drug trafficking was "disrespect to our country."The plane with Bolsonaro on board, which was scheduled to land in Seville before flying to Japan, slightly, with the president's office offering no explanation for the change.The scandal may be particularly embarrassing for the president, whose administration enacted tougher policies on drug-related crimes earlier this month, which were passed by the parliament in May. The new rules raise the minimum penalty for traffickers and require users to undergo rehabilitation regardless of their wishes as long as a family member agrees to it. Bolsonaro, who was elected on a law-and-order platform, is an avowed critic of drug liberalization. </s> The Spanish police arrested the military officer as he was traveling in a reserve plane that was accompanying President Bolsonaro to Japan.

Spanish security forces arrested President Jair Bolsonaro's military entourage at the Sevilla airport for possession of 39 kilos of cocaine in his suitcase.

"Today in the morning the Defense Minister informed me of the arrest of an aeronautical officer carrying narcotics. I ordered the Defense Minister to collaborate immediately for early clarification of the facts," President Bolsonaro tweeted.

The 39-year-old army was traveling on an official plane that was making a reconnaissance trip before the Brazilian president boarded another plane to attend the G20 summit in Japan on Wednesday. Once the incident in Seville was made public, Bolsonaro altered his travel plans.

"Brazil's president changed Tuesday night the route of his trip to Tokyo... After taking off in Brasilia, Bolsonaro had to stop in Seville; however, late in the evening, his agenda showed Lisbon as the fight plan's new scale. The president's press office did not explain the reason for the change," El Pais, a Spanish newspaper, reported.

Through his Twitter account, Bolsonaro also defended the Brazilian army's "ethics and morality" and said that "if the military officer's participation in this crime is proven, he will be tried and condemned."

"In Bolsonaro's delegation, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) plane with 39 kg of cocaine is making Brazilians lose patience. Brazilian military was arrested in Spain transporting 39 kilos of cocaine in a FAB plane which was the reserve vehicle of the Bolsonaro's delegation to the G20."

Bolsonaro's statement contrasts with some facts because it is not the first time that Brazilian air force members have taken advantage of their status to traffic drugs.

"In April, the Brazilian Military Superior Court ordered the expulsion of a lieutenant colonel for being involved in trafficking 33 kilos of cocaine," El Pais recalled and added that the official was convicted for integrating a "cocaine trafficking international specialized network" which used military aircraft.

Bolsonaro and his government received a massive backlash as Brazilians took to social media to reject such actions by members of the right-wing government referring to the scandal as "cocaine affair" ​​​​​​​the news of which surfaced just a few hours after the country's Supreme Court rejected two habeas corpus requests for the freedom of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while delaying the ruling on one until August.

"Justice Minister Sergio Moro or President Bolsonaro must explain how a member of the military was trafficking drugs in a presidential reserve plane. And as a public servant, Moro has an obligation to provide the details of his agenda in the U.S.," said Jean Wyllys, the former socialist senator and gay-rights activist who was forced to leave Brazil after death threats he received from far-right paramilitary groups.

"Brazil has become a country so sui generis that while its justice minister was talking about the fight against drugs at the DEA, the presidential plane was trafficking cocaine in Spain," said Maufalavigna, a Brazilian man from Sao Paulo.

"While Lula remains as a prisoner of justice without any evidence against him, 39 kilos of cocaine travel in a soldier's bag inside a Bolsonaro plane," La Nave Comunica commented.​​​​​ </s> A Brazilian Air Force officer travelling on the entourage of the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, to Japan, has been arrested in Spain after he was caught with 39 kilogrammes of cocaine.

Mr Bolsonaro and his entourage were going to Japan for a two-day G20 summit starting on Friday in Osaka.

According to CNN, the officer identified as Sergeant Silva Rodrigues was arrested on Tuesday in Seville, Spain, when the backup plane travelling to Osaka made a stop-over.

“The Defense Ministry informs that, on Tuesday, June 25th, an Air Force officer suspected of transporting narcotic substances was detained in the Seville airport in Spain.

“We are investigating the facts and are launching a military police inquiry.”

President Bolsonaro, who was travelling on a separate plane at the time of Mr Rodrigues’ arrest, through his Twitter handle @jairbolsonaro said he had instructed the Defense Ministry to cooperate with the Spanish authorities.

He said if the officer is found guilty, he would “be judged and convicted by law.”

Also in a statement on Wednesday, the country’s Vice-President, Hamilton Mourao, described the officer as a qualified drug mule.

“It’s obvious that, given the amount of drugs he had on him, that he didn’t just buy them around the corner and take them with him,” Mr Mourao told reporters on camera in Brasilia.

“He was working as a qualified drug mule, let’s put it that way,” he said.

Following his career records as reported by Brazilian media, Mr Rodrigues had accompanied three Brazilian presidents during 29 journeys in the past. At the time of filing this report, he was still with the Spanish authorities.
An unnamed Brazilian Air Force sergeant is arrested in Seville for smuggling 39 kilograms of cocaine inside an Embraer E190 airliner. The aircraft, now grounded, was being used as a backup plane during President Bolsonaro's official visit to Japan, connecting in the Spanish city.