AICHI (TR) – A mixed martial artist is among three persons accused of possessing marijuana inside a hotel for coronavirus patients in Nagoya, police said, reports NHK (June 11).
According to police, Ryoki Noguchi, a 20-year-old martial artist, a male high school student (18) and a girl (19), concealed 78 grams of marijuana — valued at around 470,000 yen — inside a room of the hotel in Naka Ward on May 7.
The following day, a hotel staff member found the contraband and alerted police.
Police did not reveal whether the suspects admit to the allegations. However, one suspect said, “We used together.” Police also confirmed that other persons in addition to the suspects were also inside that room.
During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese government has secured thousands of hotel rooms nationwide for persons who have tested positive for the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, but are either showing light symptoms or none at all.
Police are now seeking to learn how the suspects obtained the marijuana.
