CHIBA (TR) – Police here have arrested and indicted a 47-year-old man and an accomplice for attempting to smuggle 360 million yen worth of gold into Japan by pounding it as thin as paper and hiding it inside electrical appliances, reports Nippon News Network (July 9).
The elaborate smuggling plot unraveled when airport customs officials noticed that a shipment of electronics arriving from Hong Kong was suspiciously heavy. Upon dismantling the devices, inspectors discovered massive quantities of the thinly processed gold concealed inside.
Lin Zhu, a 47-year-old resident of Chiba Prefecture, and one other individual were arrested and subsequently indicted over the scheme.
According to police, the pair smuggled approximately 25 kilograms of gold from Hong Kong across two separate trips in February of last year. By sneaking the contraband past customs, the suspects attempted to evade paying more than 36 million yen in consumption taxes.
During police questioning, the suspects indicated they were acting as mules for a larger operation.
“I was instructed via social media by a person in China,” one of the suspects reportedly told investigators.
Police are continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope and identity of the criminal syndicate orchestrating the smuggling ring.
