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British national accused of smuggling gummy bears laced with Ecstasy

SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police have arrested a male British national for allegedly smuggling candy laced with Ecstasy sent through the international mail, reports the Saitama Shimbun (Oct. 22).

On July 4, Matthew Owens, a 33-year-old childcare worker, allegedly worked with an accomplice in the Netherlands to send 53 bear-shaped gummy candies laced with MDMA (known as Ecstasy) to Japan.

The package arrived at Narita International Airport on July 5. It was addressed to Owens, a resident of Tokorozawa City.

A British national allegedly sent candy laced with MDMA from the Netherlands to Japan (Twitter)

Weighing about 31 grams, the contraband was valued at around 212,000 yen. It was concealed inside an envelope measuring 22 centimeters long and 16 centimeters wide, the Tokorozawa Police Station said.

Owens works at a childcare facility in Tokyo. Police did not reveal whether the suspect, who has been sent to prosecutors, admits to violating the Narcotics Control Law.

The matter emerged after a Japan Customs official in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture contacted police on August 13.