CHIBA (TR) – A 44-year-old male musician from Canada has been sent to prosecutors for attempting to smuggle nearly 10 kilograms of stimulant drugs through Narita International Airport earlier this month, reports Nikkan Sports (Dec. 28).
According to customs officials and police, Daniel Burton Whitmore was found to have 9.8 kilograms of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, concealed inside a guitar case upon arrival on a flight from Canada at the airport on December 11.
The contraband has an estimated value of 627 million yen, police said.
“I was supposed to carry a guitar case as requested by a Chinese-based person in Canada,” Whitmore told police. “I was scheduled to deliver it to a hotel in Narita City.” He was sent to prosecutors on Thursday.
The drugs were concealed in a hidden compartment built into a panel of the guitar case and canisters of tea. Customs officials became suspicious after noticing the weight of the case seemed high. A X-ray examination later revealed the contraband.