OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 59-year-old man for the possession last year of a liquified form of methamphetamine that can be made into stimulant drugs, reports the Nikkei Shimbun (Feb. 21).
On December 16, Katsumi Yokotani was found to be in possession of 14 kilograms of t-boc methamphetamine inside 15 bottles concealed inside a vehicle stopped at a factory in Tsurumi Ward, according to the Kinki Narcotics Control Department.
T-boc methamphetamine can be turned into kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, when chemicals are added. The amount seized could produce about 7.8 kilograms of stimulant drugs, which would have a street value of around 500 million yen, according to the department.
Yokotani has been accused of violating the Stimulants Control Law regarding preparation for production. The department did not reveal whether the suspect admits to the allegations.
Chemicals and equipment used to manufacture stimulants were also found in the possession of parties related to the suspect, the department said.
T-boc methamphetamine became a banned drug on December 29. The seizure that month was the first of its kind nationwide, the department said.
Yakuza
In a similar story, Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 61-year-old organized crime member over the alleged smuggling of stimulant drugs from the U.S. last year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 21).
The member of a third-tier gang of the Sumiyoshi-kai allegedly sent 2.5 kilograms of stimulant drugs — with an estimated street value of 160 million yen — from a post office in California to Japan.
The drugs arrived at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture on December 8. Two days later, officials at the Kawasaki City branch of Japan Customs found the contraband and alerted police.
The gangster, who has been accused of violating the Stimulants Control Law, denies the allegations, saying that he has “no recollection” of the matter.
The package, which was labeled “bath salts,” was addressed to a restaurant in Saitama Prefecture. A person employed at the restaurant told police that the suspect requested that they receive the package.