‘Parasite’ Smuggling of 20 Kg of Cocaine Discovered at Shimizu Port, with Estimated Street Value of ¥500 Mil.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:54 JST, October 25, 2025

SHIZUOKA — The Shimizu Coast Guard Office in Shizuoka and others have seized about 20 kilograms of cocaine smuggled using so-called parasite tactics from a large foreign cargo ship docked at Shimizu Port in the city.

The cocaine has a street value of about ¥500 million and was shown to the media on Friday.

Parasite smuggling — used by international criminal organizations — involves attaching the item to be smuggled to a ship without the crew being aware.

Divers from the office and others inspected the bottom of the cargo ship docked at Shimizu Port on July 10 and discovered a bag inside a seawater intake located 12 meters below the waterline. The bag contained 20 blocks of cocaine, each weighing one kilogram and wrapped in tape.

The seawater intake is used to draw in water to cool the engines and is located in an area accessible only to divers with air tanks and diving suits. The office and other authorities are investigating the case, suspecting that someone dived into the sea, used tools to remove the seawater intake cover and deliberately concealed the cocaine.

According to the Japan Coast Guard, this is the second confirmed case of parasite smuggling discovered in Japan, after cocaine was also discovered at Mikawa Port in Aichi Prefecture in August 2019.

The office and others questioned the ship’s crew. They do not believe the ship’s owner or the about 20 crew members were involved in the smuggling. All crew members were identified via their passports, and no suspicious activities have been confirmed regarding the ship’s owner. Therefore, the office has determined the case to be an example of parasite smuggling.

The cargo ship has already departed Shimizu Port. The office is continuing its investigation into the case based on violations of the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Law, while the Nagoya Customs Shimizu Office is investigating the case based on violations of the Customs Law.

According to the National Police Agency, police took action against 586 people for possession or use of cocaine in 2024, up about 58% over the previous year. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime announced this year that 3,708 tons of cocaine may have been produced in 2023, an increase of about 34% over the previous year.