Ingredients from China linked to at least 100 synthetic drug deaths in Japan
The use of illegal synthetic substances are on the rise, causing fatalities and numerous injuries
The ingredients for a new generation of synthetic drugs are being imported into Japan from China and have been linked to the deaths of at least 100 people this year, according to the Japanese police.
Hundreds more have been injured in accidents caused by people driving under the influence of what were previously known as loophole drugs, with traces of narcotics found in their possession or in their bodies.
The death toll is a sharp increase on nine deaths last year and eight the previous year. It includes people who have killed themselves or others under the influence of the drugs.
Known by commercial names such as "Aladdin" "Super Snake" "Feeling Royal" and "Booster", they are available as a powder or dried leaves for between Y1,000 (HK$65) and Y5,000 for a small packet, often sold in sex shops and labelled as a stimulant or aphrodisiac.
Between January and October of this year, 589 people were arrested for using or selling the drugs, according to national broadcaster NHK.
In July, a storage facility in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, burned down. Police found residue from chemicals and packaging bearing the names of designated dangerous drugs.
Six Japanese men are suspected of using the storage unit to manufacture illegal drugs, and the police investigation confirmed that they had transferred about US$5 million to a company in Shanghai for the raw materials.
