A domestic flight operated by local budget carrier Vietjet on Thursday was delayed for nearly an hour after a passenger claimed to have opium in his carry-on baggage.

The incident happened on board the Ho Chi Minh City-bound Vietjet flight VJ 289 departing on Thursday evening from Cat Bi Airport in the northern province of Hai Phong, with 200 passengers aboard.

When passengers were boarding the plane at 6:19 pm, a man named L.T.H., at seat number 30E, was reportedly asked by a flight attendant to place his carry-on baggage in the overhead cabin for seat 30D, due to the lack of space in the cabin above his own seat.

H., however, refused the request, saying “I have opium in my baggage.”

The flight’s captain was immediately informed of the passengers’ statement, and eventually decided to notify ground service and airport security to take him out of the plane for questioning in accordance with Vietnam’s airport regulations.

The incident caused the flight VJ 289 to be delayed for 46 minutes, according to Vietjet representatives.

H. later told authorities that he had only been joking with the flight attendant and had not actually carried opium with him inside the baggage.

The passenger said he had merely given an example of how the passenger sitting beneath his luggage would be held accountable for the opium inside, if any, and vice versa.

But testimonies from other passengers who overheard the conversation proved otherwise. These passengers claimed that H. had indeed told the flight attendant that there was opium in his baggage.

H. reportedly resisted escort when airport security later boarded the plane to intervene, and did not agree to step out of the plane until 40 minutes after the incident.

A three-minute long footage recorded by a passenger on the flight showed many passengers frustrated by the prolonged delay and asked loudly for the perverse passenger to obey orders from airport security.

Others turned towards the officers for incapability to handle the case.

A representative of Vietnam’s Northern Airports Authority said H. blamed the flight attendant for not fully understanding his joke.

The passenger was later released without any charges except for a warning after thorough baggage search found no sign of opium, the official said.

According to Vietnamese laws, opium is listed as a type of narcotics, the carrier of which may face from two years to death penalty depending on the severity of the crime.

Footage recorded on board Vietjet flight VJ 289 on September 8, 2016 at the time of the incidence.

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