Customs say officers have planted drugs in unwitting travelers' bags 160 times for training

Tuesday 01st July, 06:15 AM JST

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Latest 15 of 78 Total Comments Show All

Hughgarse at 11:58 AM JST - 1st July

Hugharse, When I read this story, I was thinking about the ramifications of being caught here in Japan with the drugs. Someone could be arrested and questioned for days by the police, before getting to the truth of the matter. Heck, even if innocent, I can see where someone could lose their job over something like this. Then I read your post. THAT scared me. Taka

I know eh?? Imagine heading onto Singapore where it`s the death penalty?? All these guys should be fired on the spot!!
haytkayokomiya at 01:05 PM JST - 1st July

Bored?
DenshaDeGO at 03:35 PM JST - 1st July

Remind me again why I'm paying taxes here? I should switch jobs and be a Japanese government worker- I could then do anything I wanted and never get fired.
damexicanbuda at 09:48 PM JST - 1st July

These guys should not just be fired, but publicly flogged, yes a good old flogging I say, something like they do out in Saudi Arabia, but I think in the case of Saudi, if they catch you with drugs, you get hauld off to a public execution? I guess they still have guys out there with really long sharp swords and they just cut your head off in public, thank god these idiots at Narita are not working at Riyad International Airpor!
GJDailleult at 11:34 PM JST - 1st July

I will assume my above comment was deleted for a perceived to be irrelevant remark. How about this then? Under the circumstances - clear and repeated violation of policy, one major screw-up, potential to mess up somebody's life if you screwed up again - three months suspension or a 10% salary cut is basically nothing. That was all I meant.
VoXman at 05:09 AM JST - 2nd July

So if Japanese customs grabs your bags while you are still in this no-man's land, prior to you entering Japan.

Which is why they bring the dogs out to the baggage carousels...

Exactly, the time your bags reach the carousel, you've cleared Immigration. And in order for that to stick, you have to claim your bag. Yet, rarely do I every see the dogs in the claim area so I am sure they must be in the processing area.
VoXman at 05:13 AM JST - 2nd July

WOW Zen builder you need to travel to some of the area 3rd world countries before you make such comments. One little packet of resin such as the police here place in the bag at Narita would land you in jail without fail in Philippines Thailand Singapore, cambodia. Lets see what about the PRC? Try landing in Hong Kong with any kind of drugs and see what the Chicoms say..... Its no laughing matter. Asian countries take such things very serious...
Zen_Builder at 05:56 AM JST - 2nd July

Voxman.

I have been to 3rd world countries on 2 continents and those and all countries I have been to used the same method of stashing drugs on travelers to train and exercise their dogs and staff.

Just because a country is strict don't mean they don't do it.

And the drugs are usually planted on people arriving in the country NOT transit passengers as those NEVER enter the country as such.

Not agreeing that the People here acted correct or wisely.
DeepAir65 at 07:21 AM JST - 2nd July

disciplinary action should be simple - sack them for gross miscondunct
yolandahotgirl at 03:29 PM JST - 2nd July

It's unfair to custmers,the goverment should explan is as soon as posible.

VoXman at 12:18 AM JST - 3rd July

Zen builder

Are you as member of Law Enforcement? How do you comeby this information? Just saying its so, doesn't make it so. For 25 years I have been travelling throughout Asia as part of my profession and as a vacationer and I have NEVER, EVER heard of this practice from any newspaper, magazine, report, fellow Traveller, or gossip columinst in any country I have landed in. So its highly unlikely that the Japanese Customs would be the first to get caught doing this and the knuckle heads in most 3rd world countries do not in so many years of drug enforcement in airports.  No if you've been to those countries then you know that they don't need to perform such tests since the drug dogs are right there in the terminal sniffing you as you disembark. They are there at customs when you get checked there as well. They have an extremely high rate of arrest. Just ask the Aussies who frequent Bali for example......

Zen_Builder at 04:32 AM JST - 3rd July

VoXman.

Not in law-enforcement myself but got tons of contacts/friends in it. Plus, I like to keep myself informed and speak to a lot of professionals worldwide.

If you think that stashing drugs to train dogs is not happening, than you also think that smuggling a bomb/weapons through an US airport and onto a plane is NOT happening to test security.

And of course all countries would report it on telly/newspapers when things go wrong?

Same way that Companies don't hire people to tr to break into their systems to check their security/ etc I guess.

Not saying I agree with the practice, but it is the BEST way to see if things work as they should.
Apsara at 08:56 AM JST - 3rd July

Japan definitely isn't the only country where you have to line up to talk to the customs officer- whoever said that obviously hasn't been into Australia or New Zealand where you not only have to be approved by a customs officer but also a Ministry of Agriculture officer and then have your luggage x-rayed before being allowed into the country. There will almost certainly also be a dog at the carousel.

Japanese customs procedures are a breeze in comparison.
UnagiDon at 09:41 AM JST - 3rd July

Nothing I'm going to lose sleep over or fret about next time I fly into J. This practice is wrong, of course, but as many have pointed out these stashes are marked as the property of Japanese Customs, won't affect transit passengers, etc., and it's being stopped. Sometimes I wonder if you people actually enjoy news like this to have something to whine about.
PepinGalarga at 02:24 PM JST - 7th July

maybe other countries do it, maybe they dont. there's no proof of this. anyway, why dont they use a generic suitcase? that should be perfectly okay unless some of the residue can transfer to a passenger's bag and then that passenger may be detained for hours for a false positive.

also, sometimes people stay in JP 1-2 days before they transfer back out, so just because they will go through Customs out to JP shouldnt tell the JP customs that this person is safe to screw with.

JP happens to be a major hub for Northwest and tons of other airlines.

these people should all be fired, demoted or transferred to working the ferry landings in north Hokkaido in the winter. if it's 50 ppl then do it to all 50!