The Hong Kong connection: city’s link to Japan’s biggest drug bust emerges
- Gang behind US$554 million drug haul flew in from Hong Kong on separate flights, unaware that police were watching
- Men were tailed to members-only yacht club and seen travelling to open sea before retrieving suspected drug package
Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the Japanese coastguard and Tokyo Customs on Tuesday showed off dozens of 2kg bags of “ice” that were seized in early June at a harbour in Minami-Izu, south-west of Tokyo, and have a collective street value of 60 billion yen (US$554 million).
The drugs were seized when police caught four Chinese men offloading the drugs from a boat and placing them in a car. A further three people, suspected of acting as lookouts, were arrested the next day.
Authorities have until now been reluctant to share the full details of the operation but confirmed to the Asahi newspaper they had been tracking the gang since November 2017 and that 12 suspects were believed to be connected to the shipment.
Police were first alerted when a resident of Minami-Izu reported 18 months ago that a suspicious boat was entering and leaving the harbour regularly.
