Tokyo police raid Yamaguchi-gumi HQ in Sapporo over drug sales to Aska

SAPPORO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Thursday searched a Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters in Chuo Ward for the alleged sale of drugs to musician Aska, reports TBS News (Jan. 29).

At 11:00 a.m., approximately 70 investigators and riot police officers entered the headquarters of the Fukushima Rengo, a group affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi’s Kodo-kai, in search of evidence related to the allegations against Koya Yoshida, a 58-year-old former upper member of the Yamaguchi-gumi arrested on Monday in Tokyo.

Officers took Yoshida into custody for allegedly selling three grams of stimulant drugs to Aska, 56, whose real name is Shigeaki Miyazaki, for 300,000 yen at the musician’s apartment in Meguro Ward in December of 2012.

In September, the Tokyo District Court handed the singer, one half of the duo Chage and Aska, a suspended three-year prison sentence for possession and use of stimulant drugs.

According to the Asahi Shimbun (Jan. 26), Yoshida denied the allegations, telling police that he and Aska are acquaintances only, and that he did not sell drugs to the singer.

Aska claimed that he bought drugs from Yoshida on approximately 10 occasions beginning in late 2012, the Asahi reported.