U.S. sailor referred to prosecutors for alleged drug smuggling

A U.S. Navy sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan was referred to Japanese prosecutors on Monday for allegedly smuggling narcotic drugs by international mail, investigative sources said.

Darwinism at work here.

It's interesting to note that since the cops busted the Yokosuka LSD ring the US navy ships based there have stopped crashing into things. One wonders if this is part of Fat Leonard. Still, they've got this dimnil bang to rights and he's going down.

That's just plain dumb. Nearly every package we receive has been opened and inspected.

I’m curious to know what the narcotics in question were.

I’m curious to know what the narcotics in question were.

Probably ecstasy but they make a wide variety of synthetic drugs in Canada.

"In recent years, Canada emerged as a global epicenter of synthetic and counterfeit drug manufacturing and processing—with everything from MDMA to fake Viagra flowing from clandestine labs north of the U.S. border. A 2005 State Department cable identified Canada as a “significant producer and transit country for precursor chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs,” and a “hot spot” of rising clandestine lab activity."

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-is-freaking-out-about-the-wrong-border-killer-fentanyl-is-coming-from-canada

I’m curious to know what the narcotics in question were.

In Japan, if its a prescription drug or an over the counter medicine from outside of Japan, its considered a drug. I wanted to order some Allegra (the good stuff) for my allergies from the US, I asked my Japanese doctor if its OK to do so. He made a few calls and found out its illegal, but with a letter from my doctor in the US, (translated into Japanese), the list of ingredients for the Allegra pills and all this other pointless stuff to do first then take it to the police to get permission to order some allergy medicine. And when it comes, I MUST un-box it in the police station. Maybe its different in other parts in Japan, but I live in the countryside. So perhaps this US soldier wasn't using the type of "drugs/narcotics" people think of when they hear "drugs".

 One wonders if this is part of Fat Leonard

Fat Leonard had nothing to do with this or the collisions that have occurred. He was in jail well before those things happened.

days 'o yore he woulda a been keelhauled

What exactly is a suspicious package? One which says across the top, "Under no circumstances is this package to be opened and inspected?".

Drugs are bad, m'kay?

All military personal are required to get their medical attention from the military. Yes, emergencies happen and a person may be on leave (vacation) but otherwise, the care and medicines are from the military. If it was in the mail, no excuse, wrong! It is illegal (UCMJ and regulations) for a military person to get any medication from a Japanese drug store. Some over the counter drugs in Japan have narcotics and other illegal items in it, and that may cause a person to test positive in the random drug test.

Never had a single package opened

I was once able to say the same, then a friend in the UK sent me a tin of treacle. The customs people obviously had no idea what this was (or possibly suspected it was something it wasn't), and by the time I got hold of it it had been opened, inspected (hopefully not tasted) and rewrapped in a mile of 'Japan Post' sticky tape. Since then every parcel that friend has sent me over the years has arrived festooned with 'Japan Post' sticky tape and has clearly been checked.

In Japan, if its a prescription drug or an over the counter medicine from outside of Japan, 

Your doctor must have been mistaken. The generic name for allegra is Fexofenadine. It is an over the counter drug in Japan that doesn't require a prescription and can be purchased from local pharmacies (you can even buy it on Amazon Japan), and customs allows up to one month per package. I get my allegra from Australia without any issues, and yes sometimes customs have opened it and cleared. Even though it is a local over the counter drug, I use Australia as it is cheaper and the doses are higher (180 mg per capsule).

Because I have a brain tumor I get a variety of prescription drugs sent to me by mail such as tramadol and cannabidiol, and other things. I always check directly with the customs agents and asl permission from them directly before I order (you can email them directly, here is Japan's English email address list they provide for people to ask them questions http://www.customs.go.jp/question_e.htm ). They are always very polite and tell me exactly what I can and can't import.

General prescription medicines that are non-narcotic or stimulant based, and are not controlled at a higher category can be mailed to Japan at the rate of one month's dose per month.

Never had a single package opened and all entered the country via customs at Narita airport.

The same. Except I have had many odd looking personally wrapped little packages from Pakistan, Thailand and other likely drug sources. I was always expecting them to be opened, but not one has. I assume they use an x-ray or other equipment to scan suspicious packages before opening. It would save time as well.

Two decades ago, I received a Nerf football as a Christmas gift that had been eviscerated by Japan Post. Over the years, though, they've learned to trust me.

enough of this ambiguous mumbo jumbo what the hell did he smuggle benzedrine, meth, speed, ice, coke, MDMA, derivatives, futures & options, what was it?

Colleague got sent a package full of white powder during the anthrax scare (perpetrated by an American scientist but had copycats in the UK).

Bad day. Office sealed off and needless to say, panic ensued.

Are drugs bad? Depends. Don't smuggle and don't do the hard stuff because you don't know what it's cut with.

Legalise it and some (not all) problems go away.

A bit slow to put out this story. US Navy mail doesn't run through Japanese customs when you send it to the FPO AP address which he would probably would have had better luck with. Sending it to his apartment was just stupid. It was only 18 grams. The so called "lsd ring" was just a few unorganized guys trying to make a little money. They didn't get the actual supplier. Drugs are actually more widespread across Japan than most people think. Since it's not as publicly know most of it goes unseen.