logo
Malaysian man, fiancé accused of smuggling meth in baby wipes at Sendai Airport

Malaysian man, fiancé accused of smuggling meth in baby wipes at Sendai Airport

Tokyo Reported13-06-2025
MIYAGI (TR) – Authorities here have arrested two Malaysian nationals who entered the country through Sendai Airport over the alleged smuggling of nearly 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, reports NHK (June 12).
On May 13, a 52-year-old male businessman and his fiancé, 46, allegedly smuggled 9.2 kilograms of kakuseizai (methamphetamine) into Japan from Malaysia by soaking the illegal drugs in 25 packets of wet baby wipes.
The wipes soaked in kakuseizai, which were placed into backpacks and suitcases brought aboard an airplane, have a street value was about 530 million yen, authorities said.
Police did not reveal whether the pair admit to violating the Stimulants Control Act. They were indicted on June 4. Eight days later, they were accused of violating the Customs Act regarding attempted smuggling. Malaysian man, fiancé accused of smuggling meth in baby wipes at Sendai Airport (X)
The two entered the country by arriving at Sendai Airport from Malaysia via Taiwan.
This is the first time that a stimulant drug smuggling operation has been detected at Sendai Airport. The amount is the history of in Miyagi Prefecture.
When customs officials found the wipes in their luggage, one of the defendants said, 'They are used for Muslim prayers.' After becoming suspicious, officials discovered the drugs with the aid of a detector.
Police plan to continue their investigation, including whether crime was carried out for profit.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

82-year-old man loses ¥275 million after being offered false investment offer on social media
82-year-old man loses ¥275 million after being offered false investment offer on social media

Japan Today

time3 hours ago

  • Japan Today

82-year-old man loses ¥275 million after being offered false investment offer on social media

An 82-year-old man in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, was defrauded of approximately 275 million yen after being taken in by someone he met on social media with a false investment offer. According to police, the man received a series of invitations to join two investment groups on his Line account in May, NHK reported. After accepting the invitations, individuals claiming to be investment assistants for each group sent him false information, such as "You've won a lottery to buy profitable stocks. Please deposit the funds. The odds of winning are very high.' By July 24, he had transferred 275 million yen in funds 36 times to a total of 23 online accounts. The man was also shown graphs showing his profits, but when he tried to withdraw money, he was told a fee would be required. This made him suspicious, and he consulted his son and realized he had been scammed. The man reportedly told police, "I knew about investment scams and how they work, but I didn't think I would be fooled." © Japan Today

9 Japanese suspected of running ¥17.1 billion illegal investment scheme from Philippines
9 Japanese suspected of running ¥17.1 billion illegal investment scheme from Philippines

Tokyo Reported

time6 hours ago

  • Tokyo Reported

9 Japanese suspected of running ¥17.1 billion illegal investment scheme from Philippines

TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested nine Japanese nationals who are suspected of raising approximately 17 billion yen by selling unregistered foreign corporate bonds based in the Philippines, reports NHK (Aug. 8). Tokyo police believe the mastermind is Hajime Sumi, the 45-year-old the de facto manager of S Division Holdings Inc., a Philippines-based company engaged in real estate and other businesses. Sumi and eight other men and women are suspected of soliciting approximately 131 million yen from nine investors between 2021 and 2023 by offering unregistered foreign corporate bonds. Police did not reveal whether the nine suspects admit to violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. The group collectively claimed, 'Philippine business will grow in the future. Purchasing corporate bonds will earn monthly dividends, earning an annual interest of up to 24 percent.' During their solicitations, the nine allegedly solicited investors by explaining that they were developing businesses such as the Manila Shimbun , a newspaper publishing business aimed at Japanese residents in the area. Hajime Sumi (X) '24 percent annual dividend' In June 2024, Tokyo police began conducting searches of companies affiliated with S Division Holdings in Osaka Prefecture. A man in his 50s from the Kansai region lost contact with the company after purchasing more than 20 million yen in corporate bonds. Three years ago, an acquaintance introduced him to the company. 'The company operates a call center business in the Philippines, and if you purchase the bonds, you can earn a 24 percent annual dividend,' the acquaintance said. He invested a total of 25 million yen. The man recalled, 'I knew I'd need money in the future for child support and my children's education expenses, so I wanted to increase my savings through investments. I'd heard that this offered a better return than savings such as education insurance.' The man said of Hajime Sumi, the aforementioned de facto manager, whom he met during the solicitation, 'I had the impression he was a young investor. He told me that there were still very few conglomerates in the Philippines, and that his goal was to create one himself.' After investing, he received monthly dividends for a while, but the payments stopped around the end of last year. When he asked for a refund in May of last year, he was no longer able to contact the company. The man consulted a lawyer and filed a lawsuit against the company seeking a refund. Tokyo police are considering filing charges of fraud and plan to continue the investigation. Tokyo police arrested 9 Japanese nationals for violating the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, including Hajime Sumi, second from upper left (X) 'This does not mean they can be trusted' A representative from the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission stated, 'Unregistered companies may use investment funds from other customers to reimburse their customers. Even if they have received reimbursements in the past, this does not mean they can be trusted.' The commission urges users to check the list on the Financial Services Agency's web site to see if a particular company is registered.

Death of NYPD Officer Spotlights Rise of Bangladeshi Immigrants within Ranks
Death of NYPD Officer Spotlights Rise of Bangladeshi Immigrants within Ranks

Yomiuri Shimbun

timea day ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Death of NYPD Officer Spotlights Rise of Bangladeshi Immigrants within Ranks

NEW YORK (AP) — Outside the Bronx mosque where a New York City police officer was eulogized last week, a group of officers in their formal navy blue uniforms solemnly hung a banner bearing the young officer's photograph and the name of his fraternity, the Bangladeshi American Police Association. Didarul Islam — one of four people killed in the July 28 shooting at the Manhattan office tower housing the NFL's headquarters — was the NYPD's first Bangladeshi American officer killed in the line of duty. His funeral underscored the fertile recruiting ground the department has found in the city's thriving Bangladeshi community. More than 1,000 of the NYPD's roughly 33,000 uniformed members are Bangladeshi Americans, according to the association. Another 1,500 people of Bangladeshi heritage are among the department's 19,000 civilian employees. Those numbers are up from just a handful of officers a few decades ago, a phenomenon some Bangladeshi officers attribute partly to their own patriotic response to anti-Muslim sentiment after the 9/11 attacks, as well as active recruitment and word-of-mouth in the community. Among the sea of NYPD officers who lined the street to honor Islam, 36, were some who opted for traditional South Asian attire, their police badges worn around their necks. Many joined the throngs of mourners who knelt in the street in prayer. 'He actually uplifted our community in a way that was not imaginable before,' said Shamsul Haque, one of the co-founders of the NYPD's Bangladeshi officers' group. 'His legacy will endure not only as a hero who gave his life protecting others, but also as a symbol of hope, integrity and the American dream.' Bangladeshi immigrants join NYPD following Sept. 11 terror attacks When Haque joined the NYPD in 2004, he was one of just a few Bangladeshi immigrants. Many of those who joined around then wanted to dispel the notion that all Muslims were terrorist sympathizers, he said. Haque, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1991, had recently graduated college with a business administration degree when the twin towers fell. But rather than follow his peers into a financial field, he enrolled in the police academy, a decision he acknowledged was initially met with skepticism from his parents. In the aftermath of 9/11, the NYPD built up a domestic surveillance program that for years systematically spied on Muslim communities and monitored local businesses, mosques and student groups in a hunt for terror cells. Haque, 52, who retired earlier this year after becoming the first South Asian and first Muslim to attain the rank of lieutenant commander in the NYPD, said the perception of Muslims among rank-and-file members has improved. Early in his career, he recalled feeling singled out when a counterterrorism expert warned officers during a training session about the possibility of al-Qaida operatives infiltrating the force. 'Over the years, people started to realize that we work hard, we are ethical,' Haque said. 'Although we are immigrants, we are patriotic.' Path to NYPD badge begins with civilian police jobs To grow their numbers, Haque and others went out into the community proselytizing a sensible path for recently arrived immigrants. Aspiring Bangladeshi officers were encouraged to take civilian jobs in the department, such as traffic enforcement officers and school safety agents, that don't require U.S. citizenship. After gaining citizenship, usually in about five years, they could then apply for the police academy to become a uniformed officer. Some 60% of all officers of Bangladeshi heritage in the NYPD followed this pipeline, Haque estimated. Islam, the officer killed last week, began his career as a school safety officer after immigrating to the U.S. about 16 years ago. The visible growth of Bangladeshis in the NYPD has helped many aspire to leadership roles in the department, just as generations of Irish, Italian and Latino immigrants did before them. Among the uniformed officers with Bangladeshi roots are 10 detectives, 82 sergeants, 20 lieutenants and four inspectors, said Sgt. Ershadur Siddique, current president of the Bangladeshi American Police Association. The department's uniformed ranks are roughly 38% white, 33% Hispanic, 17% Black and nearly 12% Asian, according to NYPD data. 'I never dreamt that I would go this far, but I always had an ambition to go somewhere where I can be challenged,' said Siddique, now a member of Mayor Eric Adams' security detail. 'I always say, 'Listen, give me a chance, see if I can do better than anybody else,' you know? Give me a chance.' Young officer reflects on shooting Ishmam Chowdhury, a 26-year-old officer who graduated from the academy in May, said Islam's death just a few months into his own career has left a lasting impression. Like Islam's wife, who is expecting their third child, Chowdhury's wife is due to give birth to their first soon. 'It just hit us a little different because like that made us think, what if it happens to me today? It can,' he said. 'So yeah, I guess that's a wake-up call for us that even though this is a noble job, we are definitely at grave risk.' Chowdhury said he dreamed of joining law enforcement even before he immigrated to the U.S. in 2019. As a teenager in Bangladesh, he and other family members were robbed multiple times. The feeling of helplessness and humiliation stuck with him, he said. Chowdhury started as an unarmed volunteer member of the NYPD auxiliary before joining the civilian ranks as a 911 operator in 2021. He also served about a year in the police force in Washington, D.C., after it opened applications to green card holders in 2023, but he and his wife felt isolated from friends and family. So after receiving his citizenship last year, the couple moved back to Queens and he enrolled in the police academy. 'That's what makes this city, this country, great. It doesn't matter where somebody comes from,' Chowdhury said. 'If somebody really works hard and truly wants to do something, they can do it.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store