Overview
- The Kinki Regional Narcotics Control Department announced late Thursday that it had arrested and dismantled the core members of an organization that sold cannabis products via social media while moving between Nagoya and Osaka.
- Multiple suspects, including alleged ringleader Riki Murayama (28) and a suspected aide, Tomu Shimizu (21), were sent to prosecutors this month on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Special Provisions Act for business‑scale sales.
- Authorities say the group traded mainly dried cannabis and cannabis e‑liquid through SNS platforms and assigned clear roles for storage, shipping, and cash collection among several members.
- Investigators estimate the operation generated about ¥6 million in sales to customers across Japan from at least July of last year and have seized related materials as evidence.
- Police plan continued probes to map the network of suppliers and buyers, and the case highlights growing enforcement focus on social media as a distribution channel for illicit drugs.