Surrounded by 20-30 Gang Members: The Harrowing Escape of a Narcotics Officer

In the ’80s, former narcotics officer Ryoji Takahama spent his days conducting drug investigations against organized crime syndicates. While continuing his investigations without backing down against the gangsters, he sometimes experienced moments that sent chills down his spine. In this second part, we will share an episode from when he was surrounded by a large number of gangsters during a search.

In Part I, a narcotics officer said in a calm tone, “Do you want to do it, brother?

Seven officers conduct a raid on the gang’s office.

October 1989 (the first year of the Heisei era) (during the time of the Kanagawa Division of the Kanto-Chubu District Narcotics Control Bureau). Based on information that a gang leader in Koto Ward, Tokyo, was involved in the sale of methamphetamine, seven officers, including myself, conducted a search of the gang’s office starting around 7 PM. Only the gang leader was present in the office, and the search began in his presence.

During the search, I always make it a point to monitor the suspect’s movements. That evening, as usual, I sat facing the gang leader on the sofa set in the reception area, keeping a close eye on his eye movements and behavior. I checked the ashtray and cups on the glass table in front of me. I reached for a box of tissues and opened it from both sides.

The gang leader showed no signs of agitation. As I pulled out tissues from the box and examined them one by one, I found a ziplock bag about halfway through. It contained methamphetamine. Estimating it to be around 50 grams, I asked, “Is this shabu?” to which he replied, “Yes.” It became clear that the amount was as I suspected. Realizing he could not escape, the gang leader proposed, “I would like to call the young chief (the eldest son based on the family structure) here to discuss the future operation of the gang.”

 

Upon agreeing, the gang leader quickly called the young head (wakagashira) on the phone. After about 30 minutes, the young head appeared. At that time, I could see gang members peeking into the office from the door. There were about 20 to 30 of them.

In a state of extreme tension

There were seven of us, including myself. At that moment, when we were about to take the gang leader into custody, we found ourselves surrounded by such a large number of gang members that it felt like we were in a precarious situation. The gang leader would likely be rescued. Fearing this, I requested support from the Kanto-Chubu Drug Enforcement Agency. However, it was already past 8 PM, and most of the agents had left for the day.

Even so, I urged them to gather reinforcements as quickly as possible, but time continued to pass without any sign of help. Nearly an hour went by without the arrival of any backup. I decided to take the gang leader to the Yokohama branch without waiting for reinforcements. I warned the gang leader and the young head, “If any of your members try to intervene, I will take strict action and dismantle your organization.”

I pretended to remain calm, fearing that showing any sign of weakness would lead to disaster, but inside, I was filled with anxiety. Fortunately, the gang leader and the young head were advising their members to behave themselves.

We pushed our way through the gang members gathered in front of the entrance and made our way outside. Thankfully, no one defied the young head’s orders, and we safely reached our official vehicle. The tension remained at an all-time high until we got into the car. If any of the gang members had decided to attack us, we would have been beaten up on the spot. It was an arrest that I will never forget for the rest of my life.