Tokyo, June 7 :The Japanese authorities have seized the second largest batch of synthetic drugs in the country’s history, weighing 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds), in the port of Tokyo, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.
The powder, which later turned out to be synthetic drugs, was found in containers delivered to the Tokyo port on a cargo ship from the United Arab Emirates via China, the NHK broadcaster reported, adding that the drugs had been hidden between the boards.
The weight of the drugs corresponds to 43 billion yen (about $400 million) according to the prices of the dark market, the report said.
Four Chinese citizens have been arrested in the case, with an international criminal organization believed to be behind them, the broadcaster reported.
The largest consignment of drugs seized in Japan was registered in 2019. Then the weight of the cargo amounted to a tonne.
In 2022, a total of 290 kilograms were seized in Japan, and 170 people were arrested.