SHIZUOKA (TR) – Law enforcement in multiple regions have arrested eight Vietnamese nationals accused of operating a smuggling ring that brought illicit liquid marijuana into Japan from Vietnam, reports Fuji News Network (Sep. 15).
On Monday, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, Nagoya Customs, and the Tokai-Hokuriku Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare’s Narcotics Control Department announced the arrest of Tran Cong Duong, 20, a demolition worker from Kojima, Iwata City, and a 16-year-old boy, also from Iwata on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Act for joint importation and possession for profit.
The arrests stem from their alleged involvement in smuggling liquid marijuana, a substance containing concentrated hallucinogenic compounds derived from cannabis.
Authorities seized approximately 23 kilograms of the liquid, with an estimated street value of 230 million yen; this is reportedly one of the largest seizures from a single organization in Japan.
According to investigators, the syndicate smuggled the cannabis extract into the country on 14 separate occasions between October 2025 and January 2026. To evade customs, the suspects allegedly concealed the liquid marijuana inside liquor bottles and shipped them alongside everyday household goods.
Investigators believe the confiscated haul is only a fraction of the operation. Police are continuing their probe into the syndicate’s broader network, operating under the high probability that the liquid cannabis has already been widely distributed across the domestic black market.
