Record Amount of Drugs Seized at Kansai Airport; 2 Men Arrested on Suspicion of Smuggling 30 Kilograms of Meth

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:58 JST, November 30, 2023

Two men living in Saitama Prefecture have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling methamphetamine from Mexico, the Narcotics Control Department of Kinki Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare and Osaka Customs’ Kansai Airport Branch Customs have announced.

Approximately 30 kilograms of methamphetamine was seized at Kansai Airport, with a street value of about ¥1.844 billion. This marks the largest seizure at the airport since its opening in 1994.

The arrested individuals are a company executive, 34 and a truck driver, 32, according to the announcement. They are believed to have conspired with other suspects, who are still at large, to smuggle methamphetamine in violation of laws including the Stimulants Control Law.

The two men are accused of transporting the drugs in a piece of machinery from Mexico to Kansai Airport via Hong Kong, using a cargo flight on July 3.

Neither of the two has a history of traveling to Mexico. Authorities are investigating whether an organized smuggling group may have been involved.