TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo police have re-arrested a 27-year-old hostess and online influencer alongside her company executive boyfriend on suspicion of using cocaine and ketamine, reports the site for weekly tabloid Shukan Jitsuwa (Oct. 8).
Rino Tazawa, who operates as an influencer under the moniker “Yamato Rino,” and 28-year-old Kota Fukumoto were served fresh arrest warrants on October 7 by Tokyo police.
The pair are accused of consuming unspecified amounts of the illicit drugs in or around Tokyo on or before September 15.
Possession
The latest charges stem from urinalysis results, which came back positive for both substances.
The couple’s legal troubles began on that day in September, when investigators raided the apartment they share and arrested them on the spot for possessing approximately 0.4 grams of cocaine. Subsequent analysis of a white powder seized from the residence revealed an additional 0.024 grams of ketamine.
Following these discoveries, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office formally indicted Tazawa and Fukumoto on possession charges on October 6. Now, the investigation has escalated from possession to actual use.
“Truth serum”
While ketamine is legally utilized as an anesthetic and painkiller in medical settings, it is strictly regulated as a narcotic in Japan. When taken recreationally, the dissociative drug can induce hallucinations, a sense of detachment, and impaired judgment. In the criminal underworld, it is notoriously referred to as a “truth serum.”
Police are now focusing their efforts on uncovering how the couple acquired the substances.
According to a medical insider, investigators are likely zeroing in on a growing black market for prescription drugs. “While strictly controlled, some unscrupulous individuals obtain ketamine prescriptions at clinics by citing mental health issues like depression, and then resell the drugs,” the source said. “Authorities are likely desperate to unravel the dark supply route behind this case.”
