TOKYO: The amount of stimulants and other illegal substances seized by Japanese authorities at ports and airports nationwide in 2023 came to 2,406 kilogrammes, the country’s second largest seizure, local media reported Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
The figure was a 79 per cent jump from the previous year, marking the country’s second biggest seizure of illegal drugs, with the largest recorded in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, public broadcaster NHK said, citing finance ministry data.
Meanwhile, the number of drug trafficking cases uncovered in 2023 was 815, down 22 per cent from 2022.
The number of cases involving passenger planes nearly tripled from the previous year to 262, due to an increase in passenger air travel that occurred after Covid-19 restrictions were eased, the report said.
In 2023, a seizure record was set when 704 kilogrammes of stimulants were pulled from a cargo ship that arrived in Tokyo Bay from the United Arab Emirates. –Bernama
