HANOI, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Two pilots of U.S. and Filipino nationals have been detected of allegedly transporting narcotics by air at Vietnam's northern Noi Bai International Airport, said Noi Bai's sub-department of customs on Friday.

According to initial information, at around 23:05 local time on Thursday (16:05 GMT), at customs checking section, local customs authorities detected suspicious sign in hand luggage of two passengers called Elmer Ederadan Sorrea, born in 1971, from the Philippines and Francis Dennis Abellera Yutangco, born in 1963, from the United States.

The two, who declared themselves as pilots of Vietnam's budget airlines VietJet Air, had finished exit procedures to leave for the Philippines' Manila, the state-run news agency VNA reported on Friday.

While checking personal luggage, customs sub-department discovered 505 grams of white powder. With rapid testing method, the white power was proved to have the same color with signaling color of Opiates drug testing kit (which includes Morphine, Codeine or Heroin).

Two pilots with all personal luggage have been transferred to Vietnam's Police Department for Investigation of Drug-Related Crimes to continue investigation, according to the VNA.