TOKYO (Sputnik) — The Japanese police have raided the headquarters of the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi criminal group, a Yakuza clan, local media reported Tuesday.
The raid was conducted following the biggest arrest of five members of Japan’s Yakuza criminal network smuggling 220 pounds of drugs valued in the black market at around $63 million.
24 October 2015, 13:59 GMT
Four of the Yakuza members have been apprehended for drug possession in mid-February, according to the Kyodo news service. They were found inside a criminal network member’s vehicle on a Kagoshima prefecture ferry.
An investigation uncovered a drug trail leading from outside Japan’s territorial waters into the country.
The detained suspects are believed to be part of the 3,000-member Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi group formed recently after a split in the 23,000-member Yamaguchi-gumi.
