Japanese police arrest Canadian in smuggling of huge amount of stimulants hidden in machinery

Police gather near the main press centre of the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police said Friday they have arrested a Canadian national on suspicion of smuggling into Japan hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside large industrial machinery that he had shipped in a container from the United States.

Tokyo metropolitan police said they arrested Vincent Yat Sum Yeung, a 38-year-old company executive and a resident of Yokohama, near Tokyo, on Wednesday.

Police said they believe the suspect had unidentified accomplices and are still investigating, but declined to confirm further details.

Police found some 320 kilograms (705 pounds) of methamphetamines, divided into 321 bags containing one kilogram each, inside a large milling machine shipped from Los Angeles in December 2023, according to Japan’s NHK public television.

The haul reportedly had a street value of 21.2 billion yen (US$137 million). The machine and the stimulants had been temporarily stored at a warehouse in the city of Kuki, just north of Tokyo, NHK said.

The Associated Press