Drug-smuggling cases in Japan linked to shady gigs worldwide

Foreigners are being apprehended more frequently in Japan for attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the country. The substances involved in these cases include stimulants, marijuana, and etomidate, commonly known as "zombie cigarettes." Many of the individuals caught with drugs in their luggage seem to have taken on illicit short-term jobs advertised on social media platforms, offering remarkably high wages.

Reports from September reveal that young people across the globe are being coerced into these schemes by criminal organizations unaware of their true identities.

At Tokyo's Haneda Airport on September 5, a 25-year-old American woman arrived from New York on a flight. Customs officials noticed her two suitcases and discovered 35 packages wrapped in three layers of film containing 30 kilograms of dried marijuana, estimated to have a street value of 150 million yen (approximately $1 million).

Marijuana use has been on the rise in Japan, particularly among younger demographics. A senior investigator stated that efforts to combat such smuggling are being intensified, but certain areas remain challenging to control. The woman was apprehended early on September 6 on suspicion of importing narcotics for profit in breach of the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act and the Customs Act.

Unemployed at the time, she reportedly told investigators that she had seen a social media post claiming travel expenses would be covered and she would earn payment. She claimed ignorance about the contents of the suitcase.

The woman traveled to Japan with a female companion, also later arrested on similar charges. After investigators traced her to a hotel in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, both women admitted that the first had merely inquired if she desired to join her in Japan, promising $5,000 (about 750,000 yen) in exchange for carrying the marijuana. Both were unaware of who issued the instructions or what payment entailed, communicating solely through social media and only knowing the organizer was referred to by a man's name.

Recruits for illicit part-time gigs are frequently exploited as disposable assets in various criminal activities such as robberies, thefts, and fraud schemes. Authorities believe similar tactics are utilized overseas to enlist drug couriers.

Less than a week after the American woman's arrest, illegal drugs were found in the luggage of a passenger arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Inside a suitcase belonging to a Taiwanese woman, authorities discovered liquid containing etomidate dissolved in a whiskey bottle, totaling 3 liters in capacity. The 23-year-old Taiwanese woman reported to investigators that someone with an unknown name approached her, promising 5,000 Taiwan dollars (about 25,000 yen, or $158), and she never inspected the bottle's contents.

She was unemployed and had found the job through a social media platform. According to a senior Metropolitan Police Department investigator, foreign nationals arrested upon arrival in Japan on suspicion of drug smuggling originate from diverse countries and regions, including Argentina, the United States, and Taiwan.

Shady part-time job operations that turn individuals, especially women, into drug couriers are spreading globally. Authorities emphasize that such offers, particularly those promising free overseas travel or payment to transport luggage, are typically too good to be true. This year, authorities have also made several drug-smuggling busts involving stimulants and etomidate at Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo and Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture. Investigators believe these incidents were orchestrated by international criminal organizations.