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Two VietJet pilots released after drug trafficking mix-up
Thursday, 21 Aug, 2016
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Two foreign pilots at Vietnam’s low-cost carrier VietJet have been released a day after being detained for suspected drug trafficking.
The two men, 53-year-old US citizen Francis Dennis Abellera Yutangco and 45-year-old Filipino Elmer Ederadan Sorrea were off duty at the time and taking a trip to the Philippines.
It was alleged a white substance was discovered hidden inside a model VietJet plane, which was inside one of Sorrea’s bags.
They were stopped as they attempted to board a Cebu Pacific Air flight at Hanoi to Manila.
"Customs officers at the airport found a suspicious substance in their luggage. They were detained and later transferred to the police for further investigation," Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority chief Lai Xuan Thanh initially said.
The men were released when the substance was tested and was deemed not to be narcotics, customs officials said.
"It was a really nice model, very solid plastic. Who would have thought you could be stopped at customs for a model airplane?" Sorrea said.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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