Police in Tokyo have arrested a 31-year-old Australian rugby union player on suspicion of cocaine possession.
According to police, Blake Ferguson was at a bar in Roppongi at around 6:30 a.m. last Thursday when he got into an argument with another patron and punched him, Fuji TV reported. Police were called and Ferguson was taken to the Azabu police station where police searched his belongings and found cocaine.
Ferguson, a former rugby league player, played 249 games for four clubs in Australia’s National Rugby League, and represented Australia on seven occasions. He was released by the Parramatta club at the end of the season last year and switched codes to join the NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu in November. NEC's new director of rugby is former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, who was instrumental in signing Ferguson.
The inaugural League One rugby season kicks off in Japan on Jan 7. The lucrative league has signed many big names from overseas.
NEC Green Rockets released a statement on Saturday apologizing for the concern and inconvenience that Ferguson's arrest has caused and said it will cooperate fully with the police investigation.
© Japan Today
35 Comments
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BurakuminDes
Sadly, not a surprise to me to wake up to this. Ferguson has a history of anti-social and illegal behaviour. At 31, he has never grown up and should never be anywhere near alcohol. There is something called due diligence that NEC neglected to apply. He has a conviction for indecent assault here in Australia, among other incidents of bad behaviour on the drink and sackings from clubs. He played for my league club here and we were happy to let him go.
NEC will be asking some tough questions to Michael Chieka over this recruitment.
diagonalslip
drongo
kurisupisu
Fighting in possession of cocaine?
Not the brightest spark.
Starbucks
Idiots and alcohol. Top it off with a small brain.
Btang
"Idiots and alcohol. Top it off with a small brain."
Australian rugby union player on suspicion of cocaine possession.
He's now under police investigation. as a drug user/addict in Japan.
According to many studies online, Cocaine has a not so good recovery outcome. Many relapse and relapse until they eventually die from body damages.
BTW Cocaine possession in Japan is a very very serious crime, he may never be able to come back to Japan forever, after jail time and criminally deported, and placed on the interpol drug offenders list-very bad.
tooheysnew
Not sure how he could snort cocaine with that nose
michaelqtodd
There was no indication that Ferguson would have been any good at rugby anyway. Way to slow and did not know the rules.
His character was well known. Many incidents some very serious. Hope that this Japanese club did not pay him anything but suspect that they may have.
So what punishment could a normal 31 year old Japanese guy expect for this? Say 9 months in custody awaiting trial then 2-3 years if found guilty?
ArtistAtLarge
Holy cow. No kidding. Drinking at 6am? That's always bad.
Evan's Dando
@Btang
BTW Cocaine possession in Japan is a very very serious crime, he may never be able to come back to Japan forever, after jail time and criminally deported, and placed on the interpol drug offenders list-very bad.
Why do you think he'd be on an Interpol list for minor possession? I'm pretty sure they have more important issues to monitor and deal with.
By the time he's been deported I doubt he'll want to return.
serendipitous1
Idiot. And he won't even get to play one game with the new team he joined.
100 CPM
Let me add facts:
If they determine he brought the drug in from the land of down under or elsewhere, he can be suspected of international drug trafficking.
ref:
https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Drug-trafficking
"Drug trafficking affects all parts of the world as either source, transit or destination regions. ... Criminal networks traffic a range of drugs including cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. As international borders become increasingly porous, global abuse and accessibility to drugs have become increasingly widespread."
RINFO
arrested on cocaine possession in Japan
he's a criminal.... for Christ sake.
Numan
Well, we know he did not bring the cocaine to Japan with him, so who are those friendly Japanese people that sold him the "white snow" in safety Japan?
virusrex
Seeing the news on the TV a commentator was very clear this was everything but unexpected taking into account the history of the player, it is difficult to understand how the people responsible to choose players to give him a spot in the team.
Jay Que
anytime i read about crime (back here in NYC, a former JP temp transplant) I look for two things: time & location.
here, its: 6:30am & Roppongi
often its substituted with Saitama & anytime.
BelCanto
Only commit one crime at a time.
oyatoi
The Japanese will never in a million years stage a trial, find him guilty, and then lock him up; as they most certainly would do for any local who wasn’t a celebrity or well-connected. There’s one rule for the plebs; another one altogether for anyone in the public spotlight who’s fallen from grace and who’d normally be given a get out of jail free suspended sentence or let off with just a warning. It goes against the authorities’ preference for using opportunities like this to indulge the public’s appetite for self adulation about the innate humanity of Japanese justice.
CaptDingleheimer
Sound like he had plenty opportunity to toss it once he knew the fuzz were on their way. Moronic.
wowyz
"The Japanese will never in a million years stage a trial, find him guilty, and then lock him up; as they most certainly would do for any local who wasn’t a celebrity or well-connected. "
Why Japan Is So Strict About Drugs:
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/04/why-japan-is-so-strict-about-drugs/
bokuda
He probably didn't have any on him.
To have cocaine in your blood is possession.
He probably failed the drug test.
ZENJI
If found guilty, jail this criminal, then deport this criminal, then send the bill to the Australian Prime Minister.
Danielsan
He can always claim that someone planted it on him, and a good lawyer can always round up some reliable witnesses to verify his story.
Lindsay
He went to Japan to restart his career after getting into trouble in Australia. He had dreams of playing for the Australian national team. His career is well and truly over now. Idiot!
Peeping_Tom
"He probably didn't have any on him.
To have cocaine in your blood is possession.
He probably failed the drug test."
"where police searched his belongings and found cocaine."
Why read (and understand!) the article when one can simply concoct his own theory?
It's "only" missing the usual:
"But he's innocent, the police planted evidence on him (because he's a gaijin) and J-injustice will now torture another decent gaijin.
Stewie
Not surprising. In the Australian NRL cocaine is the drug of choice. There is hardly a week goes by without an NRL player arrested for either assault or drugs.
Darren Ward
@Zoroto
I've been wanting to come to Japan for past 2 years......and it sucks mate....but sadly I'm not an elite sportsman, rich or a Politician.