Overview

• The Kanto-Shinetsu Narcotics Control Department announced the September 19 seizure disclosure of about 44.8 kilograms of MDMA and other pills, the largest single haul by Japan’s narcotics control bureaus.
• William Albert Priestley, a 58-year-old British national, was arrested at a Toshima Ward short-term rental on June 27 and has been indicted on charges including importing narcotics for profit.
• Prosecutors allege he conspired with two other foreign men to smuggle the drugs from the United Kingdom via India to Haneda Airport.
• Authorities estimate the street value at roughly ¥540 million to ¥600 million, according to reports citing official figures.
• Officials say they are investigating the involvement of an overseas trafficking organization, as nationwide agencies last year seized about 230,000 pills in total.