Police and Nagoya Customs officials said Friday that around 177 kilograms of cocaine were found on a cargo ship docked at Mikawa Bay in Aichi Prefecture's Toyohashi City on Aug 19.
The street value of the cocaine is estimated at 3.5 billion yen, police said. It is the largest drug seizure by Nagoya Customs, Fuji TV reported. It was packed in plastic bags and hidden in the engine room.
According to officials, the Panama-registered cargo ship is normally used to transport cars. Its last port of departure was in South America, officials said without elaborating.
Police and Nagoya Customs are currently investigating the ship's operators and the drug's intended distribution channels in Japan.
© Japan Today
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blahblah222
Northlife I know
Just can’t say out loud because they run the country you know.
Many of these clubs are also centers of “allegedly” underage sex trafficking as well.
mmwkdw
I wonder how much gets through ?
Brian Wheway
@northerlife, can I recommend you add or use the word "allegedly" it can get you out of a lot of poop.
Brian Wheway
That's awful. Someone should file a complaint with the police about these shady business practices.
has it occurred to you that the police might be on the payroll? maybe they are encouraged to look the other way ( allegedly )? or give the crooks a tip off when there coming or about to raid an establishment.
Either way that's a huge chunk of money worth of coke to be seized. the importers know that only a small amount will get seized, but other shipments get through, its collateral damage.
Chip Star
Dogs can smell drugs through water.
macv
@commanteer I complained to the Columbian Bolivian and Peruvian embassies it's a national disgrace.
commanteer
That's awful. Someone should file a complaint with the police about these shady business practices.
forzaducati
The crew might have been completely unaware of this cocaine shipment. It appears the cocaine was hidden in the seawater intake box, which is, as mentioned, under the water line and can only be accessed by divers, not from inside the ship. They call this method of smuggling “hull attaching” and is commonly done in Central and South American ports.
macv
the stuff they sell as coke in Roppongi Nishi Azbu and elsewhere is mostly cut crap
very little of the real thing
Disillusioned
That is a very large shipment. It's too large to be a one-off gamble. I have no doubt these large shipments are arriving and slipping through customs regularly. This was stored underwater in the bilge area. That means the dogs would not have been able to smell it. I suppose it is possible it was found in a search of the ship, but it's more likely somebody blabbed.
blahblah222
If the police is actually serious about drugs, they would raid the membership-only social clubs in Roppongi and Nishi-Azabu, which are hot spots for use and drug trade. But wait, they wont. Because only poor people can be arrested and charged, rich people can ignore law.
Do the hustle
You have to wonder how often shipments like this make it into ‘drug-free’ Japan.
Kobe White Bar Owner
Now thats alot of marching powder!
Arrrgh-Type
That must have been quite an exciting day at the office.
Bugle Boy of Company B
Aren't they supposed to let the transaction go through so they can nab the buyers as well? Whoops!
JohnBecker
Ship impounded? Captain and crew detained? Ship owner's assets frozen? Anything?