Narcotics Agent’s Memoir: Why He Never Stands at the Front of the Platform
Case Files of Narcotics G-men (Part 6)
In the second part of the interview, former narcotics officer Yoshiji Takahama discusses the most memorable cases from his 36 years with the “Matrix” (anti-drug squad). In rural cities, where the logic of major cities does not apply, he was thoroughly targeted by organized crime groups and sometimes faced intense resistance.
The dangerous situations in rural cities where he braced for the risk of losing his life
As I mentioned earlier, methamphetamine and marijuana are still the mainstay of drug trafficking in the core cities of the region, even though the times have changed, and the same is true of the fact that the drug traffickers are gangsters. Some of these gangs are proud of the fact that they have never backed down from a fight against a wide-area gang, and these gangs will violently resist police officers and our investigators at the scene of a search, and go berserk.
For example, in Hiroshima, when we went to search a gang office to find a gang member, they would often be very snarly, and would start a riot after making a false accusation, which I remember causing us a great deal of trouble.
In January 1994 (Heisei 6), a raid took place at a suburban house where a gang member was allegedly trafficking methamphetamine. It was reported that the gang member was armed with a handgun, so we were also on high alert. On the way to the scene in the evening, I saw a happy family through the window of a car in front of Hiroshima station, and I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe I’ll be coming back in a coffin.”
I was wearing a heavy steel-plated bulletproof vest and carrying a pistol, which was issued to me at the time, and I was in charge when a man in his 30s entered the trafficking place. I tried to climb over the block wall, but I couldn’t lift my legs because of the bulletproof vest protecting the golden target that contained the steel plate at that time, and I was one step late in stepping into the room.
In the case of such a raid, the customer is usually held up first, and then the seller is held up as well. In other words, both the seller and the buyer are held up at the same time, and the final arrest is made.
“Give me the gun, you bastard!” I shouted. Then we tackled the dealer and, surrounded by the officers, we began to beat him mercilessly. The dealer, completely overwhelmed by the officers’ fierce intensity, could barely shout in a faint voice, “I don’t have it.” At that point, the focus had completely shifted from meth to the handgun.
But I was still scared too, so I understand how they felt. I missed the customer, but the methamphetamine was found and the dealer was caught red-handed. I knew it was someone who was always coming at me, which is why things like this happen.
