Overview
- Nishiarai police detained suspected organizer Masamori Nishimura, 34, and courier Mika Otsubo, 30, along with two other women in their 20s to 30s.
- Tokyo Customs flagged the attempt on a Hong Kong–Haneda flight in July 2024 after noticing irregular clothing and feeling concealed items through garments.
- Investigators report about 8 kilograms of granular gold worth roughly ¥98.7 million were split into 33 small bags and hidden in sewn pockets of bra tops and shorts.
- All four suspects have admitted the allegations, and police booked them on attempted unauthorized import under Japan’s Customs Law.
- Police say the undeclared import was intended to avoid about ¥9.87 million in consumption tax.