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ASIA & PACIFIC
Five members of Japan’s Yakuza criminal network have been arrested for allegedly smuggling 220 pounds of drugs valued in the black market at around $63 million, Japanese media reported Wednesday.
TOKYO (Sputnik) – Four of the Yakuza members have been apprehended for possession in mid-February, according to the Kyodo news service. They were found inside a criminal network member’s vehicle on a Kagoshima prefecture ferry.
An investigation uncovered a drug trail leading from outside Japan’s territorial waters into the country.
The detained suspects are believed to be part of the 3,000-member Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi group recently after a split in the 23,000-member Yamaguchi-gumi.
Media reports said late last month that police raided the syndicate’s headquarters in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures.