The officer was detained in Seville, Spain, when the back-up plane travelling to Osaka made a stop-over, a statement released by the Brazilian defence ministry said.
It said: “The defence ministry informs that, on Tuesday 25 June, an air force officer suspected of transporting narcotic substances was detained in Seville airport in Spain.
“The military man is detained at the disposal of the Spanish authorities. The aeronautics command established a military police inquiry (IPM) to determine all the circumstances of the case.
“Measures to prevent such illicit acts are adopted on a regular basis. In view of this, these measures will be strengthened.”
Mr Bolsonaro was travelling on a separate plane and reacted to the arrest on Tuesday on Twitter, saying he had asked the defence ministry to cooperate with Spanish authorities.
He said: “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.
“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.”
