Officers took Shin Shimazu, a 49-year-old member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, and two other male suspects into custody for allegedly possessing approximately 17 kilograms of stimulant drugs having a retail price of 1.2 billion yen.
On October 30, customs officials at the Port of Yokohama discovered the contraband hidden under the seats of a used car imported from Los Angeles. Using the technique known as “clean controlled delivery,” officers then substituted the illicit drugs, which had been packaged in polyethylene bags, for rock salt.
On the afternoon of November 5, the substitutes for the contraband were discovered in the car in a residential parking lot in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.
All three suspects have reportedly denied the allegations.
Since November 9, officers have arrested a total of seven suspects, including three Nigerian nationals, for various roles in the scheme, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 2).
