Search and seizure: This haul of illegal stimulants was confiscated in a Kochi Prefecture fishing port in February. KYODO PHOTO
Feb 1 02:18 AM US/Eastern
TOKYO, Feb. 1 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Customs authorities in Japan uncovered a record number of cases of illegal stimulant drug smuggling in 2009, the Finance Ministry said Monday.
Customs and investigative authorities discovered 164 cases of stimulant smuggling, the highest since 1966 when comparable data first became available, which was an increase of 49 percent from 2008, the ministry said.
The ministry, however, said the quantity of methamphetamine seized by customs fell 18 percent from the previous year, totaling 333 kilograms, the 10th largest on record.
Officials at the ministry said an increasing number of crime syndicates are apparently trying to bring illegal drugs into Japan in small lots by air in recent years, instead of using ships or boats, partly because flight connections within Asia have increased and become more useful.
In Japan, the ministry is in charge of overseeing customs offices.
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