Couple arrested at Tokyo's Haneda airport for attempting to smuggle meth worth Y1.8 billion

Apr 24, 2018 | News On Japan

Apr 24, 2018 (Japan Times) - A 43-year-old man and his 34-year-old wife have been arrested at Tokyoâ€™s Haneda airport on suspicion of smuggling methamphetamine with an approximate street value of Â¥1.8 billion ($16.7 million), police and customs officials said Monday.

The amount, about 30 kilograms, is the largest haul Japanese customs have confiscated in a stimulant drug smuggling case involving a passenger jet, the officials said.

Kazuki Sato, who runs a pet shop in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and his wife Natsumi, are suspected of attempting to smuggle the illegal drug in their checked luggage â€” divided into 30 coffee pouches in two sports bags â€” from an airport in Nairobi, Kenya, to Haneda on April 4.

Customs officials at Haneda found the hidden narcotics during a luggage inspection and contacted the police.

The couple has visited Kenya multiple times since 2014 along with their 15-year-old and 5-year-old sons.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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