Airman with Brazil's G20 delegation held over drug trafficking

Spanish police have arrested a member of the air force travelling with the Brazilian president’s advance party for the G20 summit in Japan after 39kg of cocaine was discovered in his luggage during a stopover in Seville.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said the man was arrested on Tuesday after his plane landed at the Andalucían airport.

“The serviceman was travelling on a military plane that had flown in from Brazil and stopped over at Seville airport en route to Tokyo,” he said.

“The serviceman was found to have cocaine in his hand baggage that weighed a total of 39kg. He was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and is currently in custody at our Seville headquarters waiting to appear before a judge.”

It is understood the plane was carrying a military delegation tasked with protecting the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, during the summit in the Japanese capital.

Bolsonaro confirmed the news in a statement on Tuesday night, saying he had been informed of the airman’s arrest by the defence minister.

“I immediately ordered the defence minister to cooperate with Spanish police to establish the facts and cooperate with every stage of the investigation, and to launch an investigation by the military police,” he said.

“There are around 300,000 men and women in the armed forces who are trained to uphold the highest principles of ethics and morality. If the airman is found to have committed a crime, he will be tried and convicted according to the law.”

Leaders are due to gather in Osaka on Friday and Saturday as Japan hosts its first G20 summit. As well as the main gathering, there will be meetings between finance ministers, central bank governors and foreign ministers.

Formed in 1999, the G20 is a group featuring 19 of the world's largest economic powers and the European Union. It was formed in the wake of financial crises in the late 90s, with a view to providing some governance for the global economy. Since 2008 it has held an annual leaders' summit.

The 19 countries who are members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States. Collectively the members of the G20 account for about 90% of the world's GDP.

As well as the 19 countries plus the EU, also attending the meetings are representatives of several permanent guests, including the African Union, International Monetary Fund, United Nations and the World Trade Organisation.

Critics argue that it is too exclusive, and the format locks a significant number of large countries out of high-level discussions on the global economy.

Earlier this month, Bolsonaro enacted drug policy designed to toughen penalties for traffickers and require users to undergo rehabilitation at private or religious centres.

The new rules raise the minimum prison sentence for traffickers who lead criminal organisations from five to eight years. In addition, they reinforce the role of therapeutic communities.

Specialists have argued the legislation moves Brazil in the opposite direction of many countries that try to approach addiction as a health issue.

Drug users in the country previously had to agree to hospital admission, but the law now allows involuntary rehabilitation upon the recommendation of a relative or public health official.

Associated Press contributed to this report