Photo: Pakutaso
crime

Takoyaki stand in Nagoya sold side orders of cocaine, police say

28 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

Stands selling takoyaki usually don’t offer a whole lot else. The spherical octopus dumplings require a special inverse dome-indented flat grill contraption to cook, and they’re usually eaten by stabbing them with a toothpick. Putting additional side items on the menu would require buying a bunch of other types of equipment and utensils, an investment most takoyaki merchants don’t think is worth it.

However, according to the Nagoya police, a certain takoyaki stand in the city did offer something other than octopus balls. It wasn’t listed on the menu, but if you knew how to ask for it, you could get your takoyaki with a side of cocaine. Investigators say that Masamichi Shimazu, the 29-year-old owner of a takoyaki stand in Nagoya’s Sakae neighborhood, had a system by which customers could purchase the drug by speaking a codeword when placing their takoyaki order.

The cocaine wasn’t mixed into the batter, but was placed in a Ziploc-style bag which was then slipped into the larger bag along with the takeout takoyaki, so the system apparently required that anyone who wanted cocaine also order food.

On February 15, Shimizu and his 31-year-old employee Takao Suzaki were found to be in possession of 0.7 grams of cocaine, which investigators believe they intended to sell, and the pair were arrested on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Control Law. Subsequent digging uncovered payments from the takoyaki stand to a management group in Mie Prefecture running unlicensed hostess bars, ostensibly funneling the drug profits to them. Four members of that group, likely to have yakuza ties, have now been arrested as well, bringing the total number of arrests up to six, coincidentally the same number of dumplings in a standard takoyaki order.

Sources: Nagoya Broadcasting Network via Jin, Yahoo! Japan News/Chukyo TV News, TBS

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Octopus balls become octopus planets with amazing tweak to takoyaki recipe

-- Survey finds that Osaka people don’t eat takoyaki octopus balls as much as you’d think

-- Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

28 Comments
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Give me, ummm. 8 takoyaki, an 8 ball and a side of delicious nose clams.

To go.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Would you like the traditional mayo or our secret white topping with that?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Takoyaki and coke to go, please!

9 ( +11 / -2 )

naturalboke

Was it cocaine though? I feel like in Japan the use coke as a cover all word for any stimulant.

Quite the opposite. They usually use the word stimulant to describe a number of different drugs. I'm surprised they named the specific stimulant this time.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

were found to be in possession of 0.7 grams of cocaine, which investigators believe they intended to sell

They were arrested with less than a gram but charged with intent to sell? How were they going to sell it? By the line? (roll eyes)

6 ( +10 / -4 )

This sounds like a Hollywood movie to be sure. I find it disgusting, funny, thrilling, and amusing all at the same time.

This happed in Japan?

Now that's funny!

5 ( +10 / -5 )

You can bet the customers were "lining up"!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Why not use the codeword and catch some more or better all of those dealers?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

They were arrested with less than a gram but charged with intent to sell? How were they going to sell it? By the line? (roll eyes)

0.7 grams ??? Not exactly 'Scarface' !!......looks like personal use to me. They definately werent going to get rich !

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Was it cocaine though? I feel like in Japan the use coke as a cover all word for any stimulant.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

"Say hello to my little friend...a takoyaki grill!"

3 ( +3 / -0 )

0.7grms aint jack! The nearby stash was not found by the boys in blue I guess.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Tony Montana has his takoyaki with yayo, not mayo.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wacky backy would’ve been better I reckon.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

six, coincidentally the same number of dumplings in a standard takoyaki order.

Huh? Someone is getting ripped off Gindako, a chain franchise in Japan, the "standard" order is 8. If the person who wrote this order cant even get this right, I wonder how much else is made up or wrong too.

0.7 grams round up to 1 gram for ease of calculation is roughly $100.00 US,

The cocaine wasn’t mixed into the batter, but was placed in a Ziploc-style bag which was then slipped into the larger bag along with the takeout takoyaki, so the system apparently required that anyone who wanted cocaine also order food.

Might tiny zip lock bag, but overexaggerated to sound like a hell of a lot more!

https://www.gindaco.com/menu/

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The owners were caught with only 0.7grams??!! I guess they got busted just before closing.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

My local Ice cream van use sell pot. After finishing my milk run for the week I was paid $5 I would rush home not to miss the ice cream van and get my weekly match box crammed pack full with the best buds for $5

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Japan importation of drugs and distribution is not the Yakuza. African are the boss. Look at nationality of most peoples excepted for immigration. All are from African nations. So I assume someone high up in immigration is getting big bags of Yen for his help

2 ( +3 / -1 )

At some point in the future I am hopping the world will find a solution to the narcotics pandemic we are suffering from now, so many lives are lost, so many families are broken, so many killings, so much violence, so much funds are used to fight it and yet NO ONE seems to have an answer or solution.

So scholars and experts suggested that part of the solution could be to legalize and tax it, others suggested harsher penalties to dealers and makers including the death penalty!! what ever it is something need to be done and soon before it becomes a real pandemic.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Do they cut the coke with miso in true Nagoya fashion?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

At Uni an ice cream vendor was busted selling marijuana from a truck.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Code word?

“Oh, and one Cocacocacola with that, to go, please.”

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Legalizing drugs is good but if prices are too high the black market will continue.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cool! Now THAT’S my “go to” takoyaki place.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm surprise the Yakuza may've been involved, I thought it was taboo for them to get involved with drugs in Japan.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It's called Takcoca on the menu, lol

0 ( +1 / -1 )

He should be allowed to sell. Why make it illegal to make only bad people make money on it. Remove taboo

0 ( +0 / -0 )

At some point in the future I am hopping the world will find a solution to the narcotics pandemic we are suffering from now, so many lives are lost, so many families are broken, so many killings, so much violence, so much funds are used to fight it and yet NO ONE seems to have an answer or solution.

Drugs have been a problem since my great grandfather's time, and it's nothing new . Maybe it is to you, but it's been around forever. Hell there was even a war named after drugs, ever hear of the "Opium Wars"

> So scholars and experts suggested that part of the solution could be to legalize and tax it, others suggested harsher penalties to dealers and makers including the death penalty!! what ever it is something need to be done and soon before it becomes a real pandemic.

Take a look at how harsher penalties have worked. NOT There is too much cash involved for anyone to fear jail or even death. To fix it means to have to deal with the socio-economic problems behind why so many turn to dealing drugs, and instead of treating it as an illegal activity , to treat it as a health issue, and addiction problem.

Yeah, legalize it, tax the hell out of it, let the government take their cut, improve quality, and regulate it. Watch use decline over time, as education catches up and people realize the negative effects, take away the criminal aspect and things will eventually die down. Want an example? America's prohibition years.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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