Overview
- Japanese authorities said Tuesday they arrested six men on suspicion of importing methamphetamine for profit after a multi-agency investigation.
- Officers seized about 270 kilograms of the drug worth an estimated ¥14.3 billion that had been concealed among commercial cargo in a container.
- Investigators say the shipment arrived at Tokyo’s Oi Pier in December and, after an import filing in March, a customs inspection uncovered the stash at a container screening center.
- Police named Bat Shafqat Mushtaq, a 53-year-old Pakistani used-car dealer, as a suspect who denies the charges, and they stopped him at Narita Airport on April 5 as he tried to leave Japan.
- Five other men, described as Pakistani or Sri Lankan nationals, were arrested on April 2 in a related case, and police are examining possible links to a Pakistani smuggling group with help from foreign agencies.