French woman suspected of attempting to smuggle 40 kg of ketamine into Japan
TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Customs officials said last week that a French woman on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 40 kilograms of ketamine into Japan inside her luggage.
The bust is the largest of its kind on record, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 15).
In April, Amira Sirine Mouissi, 21, allegedly attempted to smuggle approximately 41 kilograms of the drug ketamine through Haneda Airport after disembarking from a flight from Germany on April 24.
According to Tokyo Customs, the ketamine was divied into small bags and spread out in two suitcases. The contraband has a street value of around 900 million yen.
After Mouissi disembarked, a Tokyo Customs staff member became suspicious of the weight of the suitcases and initiated a search.
Mouissi explained to officials that she had accepted a high-paying job in France and received the suitcases in Germany, but she said she 'doesn't want to talk about what was inside' the suitcases.
According to Tokyo Customs, the amount exceeds the 28 kilograms that the agency seized all of last year. It is also the largest amount ever seized at one time by a domestic investigative agency.
Ketamine is a powerful anesthetic. When used recreationally, it distorts perceptions of sight and sound and can cause hallucinations.
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