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boloboffin · 26th May 2008, 09:29 AM

Yikes!

Quote:

A passenger who landed at Tokyo's Narita airport over the weekend has ended up with a surprise souvenir courtesy of customs officials -- a package of cannabis.

A customs official hid the package in a suitcase belonging to a passenger arriving from Hong Kong as part of an exercise for sniffer dogs on Sunday, Reuters.com reported.

However, staff then lost track of the drugs and suitcase during the exercise, a spokeswoman for Tokyo customs said.

Customs regulations specify that a training suitcase be used for such exercises, but the official had used passengers' suitcases for similar purposes in the past, domestic media reported.

Tokyo customs has asked anyone who finds the package to return it.

Good luck with that.

I can't even believe it. If that passenger had been going to another airport ultimately, the implications could have been horrid. Even so, now this person has a suitcase they can't use again. How many people have not known about this and been stopped later for suspected use of narcotics? It's unbelievable to me that the training suitcase would not be used at all times.

Beerina · 27th May 2008, 07:44 AM

There have been worse horror stories where airport employees hide drugs in suitcases, intended for destination employees to remove them during baggage handling, but someone messes up, and the person gets busted when going through customs for smuggling.

IIRC, it was all straightened out eventually and the employees caught on a sting, but sheesh, that would take awhile.

Rob Lister · 27th May 2008, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by boloboffin

Yikes!

Good luck with that.

I can't even believe it. If that passenger had been going to another airport ultimately, the implications could have been horrid. Even so, now this person has a suitcase they can't use again. How many people have not known about this and been stopped later for suspected use of narcotics? It's unbelievable to me that the training suitcase would not be used at all times.

What a great gift, assuming you get home with it without being discovered by customs! Hopefully it wasn't dirt-weed. That would suck a little but still be worth the cost of having to toss the suitcase. I bet it was prime. LOL.

But seriously...Thanks!

Mycroft · 27th May 2008, 09:24 AM

One hopes the "lucky" passenger wasn't on his way to some country with outrageous anti-drug laws that will throw someone in prison for decades for being caught with something like that.

26th May 2008, 09:29 AM	#1
boloboffin Guest Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 5,001	Japanese Customs Lose Bag of Cannibis Intended For Canine Test Yikes! Quote: A passenger who landed at Tokyo's Narita airport over the weekend has ended up with a surprise souvenir courtesy of customs officials -- a package of cannabis. A customs official hid the package in a suitcase belonging to a passenger arriving from Hong Kong as part of an exercise for sniffer dogs on Sunday, Reuters.com reported. However, staff then lost track of the drugs and suitcase during the exercise, a spokeswoman for Tokyo customs said. Customs regulations specify that a training suitcase be used for such exercises, but the official had used passengers' suitcases for similar purposes in the past, domestic media reported. Tokyo customs has asked anyone who finds the package to return it. Good luck with that. I can't even believe it. If that passenger had been going to another airport ultimately, the implications could have been horrid. Even so, now this person has a suitcase they can't use again. How many people have not known about this and been stopped later for suspected use of narcotics? It's unbelievable to me that the training suitcase would not be used at all times.

27th May 2008, 07:44 AM	#2
Beerina Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: A floating island above the clouds Posts: 23,835	There have been worse horror stories where airport employees hide drugs in suitcases, intended for destination employees to remove them during baggage handling, but someone messes up, and the person gets busted when going through customs for smuggling. IIRC, it was all straightened out eventually and the employees caught on a sting, but sheesh, that would take awhile.
	__________________ "Great innovations should not be forced [by way of] slender majorities." - Thomas Jefferson The government should nationalize it! Socialized, single-payer video game development and sales *now!* More, cheaper, better games, right? Right?

27th May 2008, 09:24 AM	#4
Mycroft High Priest of Ed Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 16,151	One hopes the "lucky" passenger wasn't on his way to some country with outrageous anti-drug laws that will throw someone in prison for decades for being caught with something like that.
	__________________ Surely Israel is the party to blame? -a_unique_person I do have Mycroft on ignore, he is pretty much the Matt Giwer of your side. -a_unique_person Palestinian Refugees

27th May 2008, 07:55 AM	#3
Rob Lister Suspended Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 8,523	Originally Posted by boloboffin Yikes! Good luck with that. I can't even believe it. If that passenger had been going to another airport ultimately, the implications could have been horrid. Even so, now this person has a suitcase they can't use again. How many people have not known about this and been stopped later for suspected use of narcotics? It's unbelievable to me that the training suitcase would not be used at all times. What a great gift, assuming you get home with it without being discovered by customs! Hopefully it wasn't dirt-weed. That would suck a little but still be worth the cost of having to toss the suitcase. I bet it was prime. LOL. But seriously...Thanks!