4 arrested for trying to smuggle 8kg of gold concealed in underwear from Hong Kong to Japan
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Gold smuggling cases have been soaring in Japan lately on the back of the rising price of the precious metal.
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TOKYO – Four people have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle about 8kg of gold, worth around 98.7 million yen (S$845,000), from Hong Kong to Japan by concealing gold powder in their underwear, sources familiar with the matter revealed on Oct 21.
Masamori Nishimura, 34, is believed to have orchestrated the smuggling attempt by instructing three women in their 20s and 30s to wear underwear with concealed gold powder on a flight in July 2024, the sources said.
The four admitted to the charges, with one of the women telling investigators she was recruited by Nishimura. The three women knew one another and joined the scheme in return for cash and travel expenses, according to the sources.
The women are believed to have received underwear with concealed gold from another man in Hong Kong under Nishimura’s instructions.
Gold smuggling cases have been soaring in Japan lately on the back of the rising price of the precious metal
The benchmark price of gold set by Tokyo’s Tanaka Precious Metal Technologies hit a record 23,370 yen per gram on Oct 21 amid uncertainty ahead of US-China trade talks.
The four people, arrested on Oct 20, are suspected of having conspired to smuggle gold granules in pouches aboard a flight bound for Tokyo’s Haneda airport to evade taxes of about 9.87 million yen in total.
They are under police investigation after the case was handed to the Metropolitan Police Department by Tokyo Customs, according to the source. KYODO NEWS
