NHK has learned that six people have been arrested in Japan for allegedly smuggling stimulants from Mexico by hiding the drugs in small machinery shipments.
The six include a senior member of a yakuza gang affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai syndicate.
Investigative sources say they allegedly smuggled about 15 kilograms of stimulants last June for commercial purposes. The contraband reportedly has a street value of 940 million yen, or about 6 million dollars.
The sources say customs authorities found the stimulants hidden in rollers of imported small conveyor belts at Narita International Airport. They say investigators suspect a Mexican drug cartel is involved.
Police and narcotic control agents say there have been a growing number of cases in which illegal drugs are smuggled into the country hidden in machinery imports.