US women arrested in Japan over reported $1m cannabis haul

Tokyo police arrested two 25-year-old American women on suspicion of smuggling cannabis into Japan after they arrived at Haneda airport from New York, a police spokesman told AFP.

The women arrived on September 5 with two suitcases in which “cannabis-like dried plants” were hidden, the spokesman said. Japanese media reported that the dried cannabis weighed about 30 kilograms and was valued at about 150 million yen, or $970,000.

Nippon TV reported that one of the women told police she took the job for money and because she was attracted by a free trip to Japan. Tokyo Shimbun reported, citing unnamed police sources, that the other suspect denied the allegation and said she did not know cannabis was inside the suitcase.

The police spokesman said the women were arrested on suspicion of violating Japan’s drugs and psychotropics control law by smuggling for profit. He said they also breached two other laws and had conspired with an unidentified person.

Japan has strict drug laws. Smuggling cannabis for profit can carry up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to three million yen, or about $19,500.