Japanese teens caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand to Japan
Boys arrested after drugs found hidden in food packaging
Two Japanese teenagers were arrested at Fukuoka Airport after flying in from Thailand with 14 kilogrammes of cannabis extract disguised inside instant curry packets.
The 17 year old high school student from Kishiwada City in Osaka Prefecture, along with his 16 year old friend, was stopped by police after officers discovered 14kg of liquid containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their luggage. The drugs were divided into small bags, with each suspect carrying around 7kg.
The arrests were made on August 30, when the pair flew back separately from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Fukuoka. According to police, both teenagers had travelled to Thailand together two days earlier.
Investigators said the boys confessed to the charges during questioning. Officers believe they agreed to smuggle the drugs in exchange for compensation and are now examining possible links to a wider trafficking network.
A police spokesperson confirmed the unusual concealment method used in the attempted smuggling.
“The liquids were packed into bags and disguised inside instant curry packages.”
Japanese police consider cannabis and THC to be narcotics under the Narcotics Suppression Act, with penalties including imprisonment. The case has raised alarm due to the ages of the suspects, who remain in custody while the investigation continues.
According to J-doradic’s Facebook post, drug smuggling cases involving young people have attracted growing scrutiny in Japan, where strict narcotics laws stand in sharp contrast to more lenient cannabis policies abroad. The arrests underscore the dangers faced by those who attempt to exploit international travel routes, especially from Southeast Asia, for illicit trafficking.
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In similar news, a former Asda manager from the UK has been jailed for attempting to smuggle more than 31kg of cannabis into the UK through Manchester Airport. The woman was sentenced to 20 months, with half to be served in custody. Border Force officers intercepted two suitcases on May 8 containing 31.25 kilogrammes of cannabis, despite her claims that they held tobacco.
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