Police and other authorities have arrested a Pakistani man and five others for allegedly smuggling into Japan 270 kilograms of stimulant drugs worth about ¥14.3 billion from the United Arab Emirates in December or January.
Butt Shafquat Mushtaq, a 53-year-old Pakistani used-car dealer, has denied the allegations against him, according to people familiar with the investigation.
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department suspects that Mushtaq is a member of a Pakistani drug-smuggling ring.
He concealed the stimulants in 18 of 742 bags of white powder used as a cosmetic in a container from the United Arab Emirates, according to the police. The container arrived at a pier in Tokyo’s port in December and was left there until it was declared for import in March, according to the police and other sources.
The other five men, who are nationals of Pakistan or Sri Lanka, are believed to have helped with the export procedures and transportation.
