Post by yopparaisaru on May 27, 2008 10:17:02 GMT 8
www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23761024-5006301,00.html
Drugs returned to red-faced CustomsArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment May 27, 2008 10:30am
A SHOCKED airline passenger has returned a million yen's worth of cannabis that Customs staff planted in his bag in a bungled sniffer dog exercise.
An officer at Narita International Airport stuffed 142 grams of the drug into the side pocket of a randomly-selected black suitcase coming off an overseas flight so that the animal could detect it.
"The dog couldn't find it and the officer also forgot which bag he put it in," a Customs office spokeswoman said.
"If by some chance passengers find it in their suitcase, we're asking them to return it."
Japan Today reports that the passenger discovered a metal box containing the cannabis tucked in a side compartment of his suitcase when he got to his hotel.
"The man called police who returned the cannabis to Narita airport," Japan Today said.
The 38-year-old officer was quoted by the spokeswoman as saying: "I knew that using passengers' bags (for sniffer dog training) is prohibited, but I did it because I wanted to improve the sniffer dog's ability."
He was reprimanded by the head of Customs at Narita airport.
"This case was extremely regrettable. I would like to deeply apologise," said the airport's Customs chief Manpei Tanaka.
The cannabis, which has a street value of one million yen ($A10,100), was in a metal box wrapped with newspapers.
Japan strictly prohibits both hard and soft drugs, with people imprisoned for possession of even small amounts of cannabis.
Drugs returned to red-faced CustomsArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print Submit comment: Submit comment May 27, 2008 10:30am
A SHOCKED airline passenger has returned a million yen's worth of cannabis that Customs staff planted in his bag in a bungled sniffer dog exercise.
An officer at Narita International Airport stuffed 142 grams of the drug into the side pocket of a randomly-selected black suitcase coming off an overseas flight so that the animal could detect it.
"The dog couldn't find it and the officer also forgot which bag he put it in," a Customs office spokeswoman said.
"If by some chance passengers find it in their suitcase, we're asking them to return it."
Japan Today reports that the passenger discovered a metal box containing the cannabis tucked in a side compartment of his suitcase when he got to his hotel.
"The man called police who returned the cannabis to Narita airport," Japan Today said.
The 38-year-old officer was quoted by the spokeswoman as saying: "I knew that using passengers' bags (for sniffer dog training) is prohibited, but I did it because I wanted to improve the sniffer dog's ability."
He was reprimanded by the head of Customs at Narita airport.
"This case was extremely regrettable. I would like to deeply apologise," said the airport's Customs chief Manpei Tanaka.
The cannabis, which has a street value of one million yen ($A10,100), was in a metal box wrapped with newspapers.
Japan strictly prohibits both hard and soft drugs, with people imprisoned for possession of even small amounts of cannabis.