Society

English teacher arrested in Japan for smuggling cannabis oil inside hair treatment bottles

Jun 06 (soranews24.com) - Despite cannabis becoming more widely accepted in many countries around the world, in Japan it’s still considered a major crime to have or use any amount.

It wasn’t until just last month that laws concerning medicinal marijuana were even considered to be relaxed.

Which is why it’s of the utmost importance to stay far away from the substance while in Japan… and especially not be a part of mailing it around the country.

Unfortunately that’s exactly what one American English teacher from Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture did, helping to smuggle cannabis oil inside hair treatment bottles.

The 43-year-old English conversation school (eikaiwa) teacher, Richard Thomas Gonzalez Melgarejo, was arrested in April at a hotel in Ibaraki Prefecture. He was found with about two kilograms of cannabis oil hidden inside hair treatment bottles.

He was suspected of receiving the parcel of smuggled goods at the hotel, and of planning to ship it out. A search of his home found five more kilograms of cannabis oil, which resulted in him being further charged of possession with intent to sell.

The value of the seven total kilograms of cannabis oil comes to about 280 million yen (US$2,556,960), and is suspected of being a part of a larger organization.

Source: TBS NEWS

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