KUMAMOTO (TR) – Kumamoto Prefectural Police have arrested two men on suspicion of cultivating cannabis in a field in the town of Mashiki, marking a local milestone under newly tightened drug laws, reports TV Kumamoto (Oct. 3).
Tetsuro Tsuiki, a 47-year-old self-employed man, and Katsuhiro Hayashi, a 50-year-old construction worker, were taken into custody on October 2.
According to investigators, the pair conspired to grow marijuana plants in a field owned by Tsuiki in the town’s Fukuhara area around September 9.
During police questioning, Tsuiki fully admitted to the allegations, stating, “There is no mistake.”
However, Hayashi pushed back against the conspiracy charges. While he admitted to being present, he denied acting as a full accomplice, reportedly telling investigators, “I was just helping.”
Police noted that this case marks the very first arrest in the prefecture under the revised Cannabis Control Law, which went into effect in December 2024.
