Brazilian and Spanish media have reported the arrest of 38-year-old sergeant Manuel Silva Rodriguez. 39 kg of cocaine were found in his luggage.
Curiously, the arrestee was a member of the crew of a plane escorting Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro who was heading to Osaka to take part in the G20 summit.
The packets containing drugs were discovered when the backup aircraft made a transit landing in the Spanish city of Seville, elpais.com reports with reference to the sources familiar with the situation. The drugs were detected and the petty officer detained when the 20 members of the crew and their luggage passed through customs.
The plane Bolsonaro was on board was also supposed to land in Spain, but its crew changed plans and flew to Japan without a stopover.
According to bbc.com, Rodriguez accompanied three Brazilian presidents in 29 foreign trips. Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao called him a ‘professional drug courier’.
