CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have sent to prosecutors an employee of trading house Mitsui & Co. over the alleged smuggling of illegal drugs through Narita International Airport last month, reports Jiji Press (Apr. 10).
According to the indictment, Katsunobu Toda, 49, arrived at the airport on a flight from Saudi Arabia while in possession of 40.86 grams of marijuana and 14.02 grams of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, on March 20.
According to police, Toda was returning to Japan after a one-week business trip upon arrival. A customs official found the contraband, with a street value of 1.1 million yen, within the suspect’s belongings, including a pants pocket and bag, during an inspection.
“At a factory [I visited] during the business trip, I received chemical samples for analysis purposes,” the suspect was quoted by police upon his arrest in denying the allegations.
A representative of Mitsui expressed regret over the incident. “We will deal with the matter harshly based on the facts of the case,” the representative said.
