500 Million Yen in Meth Sales Over 15 Years: Arrest of Inagawa-kai Gang Executive, Shocking Unmasked Transfer Photo

In the early afternoon of September 27, a convoy with a man in the back seat appeared. The man stared straight ahead with a sharp gaze from behind his glasses, undaunted by the assembled press. This was the scene at the time the gang leader who was arrested for trafficking methamphetamine was sent to the police station.

On September 25, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Anti-Drug and Firearms Division arrested Nomake and three others on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Special Measures Law (transferring and receiving methamphetamine as a drug). The police have not yet disclosed the admissions or denials of the three suspects.

The alleged incident occurred on September 15 of last year. Nomu and the other suspects allegedly transferred methamphetamine to a man in his 40s at an apartment in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo. The quantity was about 0.2 g and the price was 10,000 yen. The suspect, Nomu, is said to have played a central role in the drug trafficking organization as an instructor,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

On a street near JR Kamata Station

This is not the first time that Nomake has been arrested. In June of this year, he was also arrested for trafficking illegal drugs in violation of the Methamphetamine Control Law.

The suspect was based in the area around JR Kamata Station (Ota Ward, Tokyo) and was selling methamphetamine on the streets. Trafficking in methamphetamine began to be rampant in the area around 2009. It is believed that Nomake and others sold about 540 million yen over a period of 15 years.

The police tracked the movements of the traffickers based on the incoming call logs of customers who purchased methamphetamine. They conducted raids on related businesses in Tokyo, which led to the arrest of Nomu and other suspects. It is believed that the proceeds from the methamphetamine trafficking were used as a source of funds for the gang.

Although the number of arrests in methamphetamine cases has steadily declined from about 11,000 in 2002 to about 6,000 last year, the recidivism rate remains high, in the upper 60% range. The police are continuing their investigations with the aim of completely eradicating the problem.