Tokyo cops arrest 3 Nigerians in smuggling of stimulant drugs

TOKYO (TR) – As a part of an ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking, Tokyo Metropolitan Police and other government officials on Friday announced the arrest of three Nigerian nationals for smuggling stimulant drugs from Hong Kong through Haneda International Airport, reports TV Asahi (June 5).

On December 25 of last year, Jerome Wabonma, a 53-year-old resident of Shinjuku Ward, and two other Nigerian nationals are alleged to have concealed four kilograms of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs, inside a rucksack that was intended for a Japanese organized crime member.

A customs staff member discovered the contraband, with a street value of 280 million yen, inside small plastic bags that had been inserted into the rucksack, police said.

All three suspects have denied the allegations.

Police believe that the suspects are a part of a group of approximately 100 drug smugglers operating in the Kanto area. In this case, the drugs were manufactured in West Africa.

In 2013, Nigerian smugglers attempted to bring drugs into Japan through Fukuoka Airport, according to the Asahi Shimbun (June 5). Tokyo police have since been working with Fukuoka police in investigating the ring.