KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested two Israeli nationals over the alleged smuggling of more than 200 kilograms of stimulant drugs aboard a freighter.
On September 21, Japan Customs officials found 237 kilograms of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, concealed aboard the freighter while it was docked at Yokohama Port, reports NHK (Nov. 27).
According to police, Amnon Hanoh Tenenboim, 58, has declined to comment on the allegations. Meanwhile, Ofer Menachem Leibovich, 40, denies the charges.
The freighter originated in South Africa. The contraband — valued at around 15 billion yen — was inside a bag placed inside machinery that manufactures plastic products, police said.
After the discovery, the drugs were removed and the shipment sent on to the designated address in Chiba Prefecture.
Police apprehended Tenenboim, a resident of Tokyo’s Minato Ward, and Leibovich after they picked up the shipment on November 8.
The seizure is the second largest of its kind nationwide this year, police said.
