US, UK Olympic contractors arrested in Tokyo on cocaine charges

The four men, employees of a power company contracted for the Games, had been drinking at a bar in the entertainment district of Roppongi

They were taken in for questioning, and later tested positive for drugs, after one of their number reportedly trespassed into an apartment complex

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Workers at an Olympic venue under construction in Tokyo last month. The four men who were arrested work for a company that provides electrical services to the Games. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 4:48pm, 13 Jul 2021Updated: 9:06pm, 13 Jul 2021

Four Olympic contractors from the US and Britain have been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of using cocaine, officials said on Tuesday, as the Japanese capital counts down to the July 23 opening ceremony of the Games.

Tokyo metropolitan police said the four men were arrested between July 3-5 on suspicion of using banned substances in the capital or nearby areas.

Aggreko Events Services Japan, which is based in Tokyo and provides electrical services to the Games, confirmed four employees were arrested and apologised for causing trouble for people and Olympic officials. In its statement, the company said it was cooperating with the investigation and pledged to abide by the rules.

People celebrate at a nightclub in Tokyo's Roppongi district in 2019. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

NHK public television reported that the four men entered Japan between February and May and were living in Tokyo.

It said they were drinking at a bar in Tokyo’s entertainment district of Roppongi, where one of them allegedly intruded into an apartment complex, leading to police questioning and arrests. The four men denied the police allegations, but they tested positive for cocaine, NHK said.