Volkswagen Japan exec arrested for alleged stimulant drug use

The police searched Siebert's home in Tokyo's Minato Ward early this month based on information presented by Kawasaki Overseas Mail Sub-Branch in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, Yokohama Customs said.

So, he was having blow mailed to him?

This guy is an executive for a major auto-maker and one who supposedly should know about Japan and it's stance on illegal drugs, has probably flown all over the world, and is stupid enough to send coke through the mail?

Dude deserves to be caught, just for being plain stupid!

Rare that they identify the drug and don't just use the widely encompassing 'kakuseizai' (stimulant).

Definitely not a good idea to send drugs in the mail. Or even do them at all in this country.

I feel for the guy, he probably picked up a baggie during a night of heavy work drinks in Roppongi or Shinjuku and was unfortunately caught. A victimless crime

I feel for the guy, he probably picked up a baggie during a night of heavy work drinks in Roppongi or Shinjuku and was unfortunately caught.

I got you! Then he was still messed up in the morning and went straight to the post office to send a sample to his mother in Germany.

This is very common among Germans working in Japan I heard.

Another egg on the face of VW.

Envelopes in the mail are put through sensors (and probably dog inspections) that can detect the smell of drugs on them. Individual pieces of mail are not generally opened, the exception being boxes of stuff which are subject to customs inspections. If a piece of mail gets a drug "spike" from the detector or dog, it gets opened and examined and then they tend to let the mail go through to the recipient and arrest the person as soon as they take delivery of it.

Some mail is also irradiated to prevent the import of undocumented seeds. The extent of irradiation, I don't know - not all mail is irradiated, but clearly some is. It may depend on where the mail came from.

Pretty stupid to be doing coke in the first place, but doing it in Japan and sending it through the mail is ridiculous, how on earth do people make it to exec positions of large companies doing stuff like that!?

His career is done.

@Sherman - Been here nearly 20 years and I have never heard this is common for Germans working in Japan and I know alot of Germans here. I am curious where this information came from.

Regardless this guy was having drugs sent to him by post or another means. Very foolish and in his position he should really know better. Regardless of how one feels about this being a "victimless crime" the guy made a major mistake and I am sure it will have a major impact on his life/career. Very unfortunate.

Regarding the victimless crime argument - I would take some issue with that. If you follow the "supply chain" of illicit drugs there are generally people being exploited and generally there is violence. If these drugs were legal perhaps such exploitation / violence would disappear.....another debate for another day...

Been here nearly 20 years and I have never heard this is common for Germans working in Japan and I know alot of Germans here.

I've known a number of Germans here myself, and partied with some of them a bunch even, and they weren't doing cocaine. Of course that's only personal experience, but my personal experience doesn't jibe with the claim.

Years ago, my mother had sent me a Nerf football as a birthday present. Customs had knifed it open.

Same here, whenever my wife gets a care package from her family in the Philippines, it has ALWAYS been opened by customs. Every single time.

This guy was a company executive and he was dumb enough to get blow mailed to him? Like somebody said, he deserved to get caught.

They open all packages with my name on them every single time too. Anything with anyone else's name on it who lives in my house, undisturbed. Part of living in Japan, I dont mind it except when they dont rewrap it and there is damage. The company I ordered from refuses to refund or replace because they said customs damaged it not them.

@Burning Bush. As soon as he took delivery he was in possession.

Burning Bush: In Japan the use of drugs is illegal. They can test hair, urine, blood etc. to establish usage.

 The company I ordered from refuses to refund or replace because they said customs damaged it not them.

Unfortunately, they're correct. How can a seller be expected to have any control over what customs officials in their buyers' countries do?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it most legal systems, actually use of a drug cannot be considered a crime, only possession and/or distribution.

In most legal systems it is both illegal to use and possess drugs. If the drugs are in your system, you are in possession. It is like a minor who is drunk. That minor is in possession by consumption, a.k.a., MIP (minor in possession by consumption).

They open all packages with my name on them every single time too. 

These comments surprise me. I have had lots of packages sent from places such as Pakistan, India, China, Thailand - all potentially suspect package origins. Most from Pakistan and India were not professionally packed, and looked like personal items from the outside. Not one has been opened as far as I could tell. Which surprised me a bit, actually. Especially since I am obviously not from Pakistan or the other countries.

So I wonder why so many here have had the opposite experience.

When I came back from holiday in Hawaii, I had bought 6 tubes of Colgate toothpaste. US Customs opened and squeezed every single one of them! The price of security...

From the UK, never had a problem.

@sherman

This is very common among Germans working in Japan I heard.

Another egg on the face of VW.

thanks for the lead, now i will report all my german workmates lol