KUALA LUMPUR ¨C Malaysian customs authorities have charged three Japanese men on suspicion of attempting to smuggle large quantities of marijuana into the Southeast Asian nation, in violation of the country¡¯s law for cracking down on dangerous drugs.
Charged on Monday were Wataru Matsuki, 42, Ryota Yuasa, 32, and an individual age 19. Matsuki is from Hiroshima Prefecture and the other two are from Osaka Prefecture, according to the authorities.
The three men were detained Nov. 18, upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Bangkok, as they were found to be carrying a total of 43.4 kilograms of marijuana.
According to the charges, each of them allegedly attempted to smuggle about 14 kg of marijuana into Malaysia.
A lawyer for the accused said the three argue they were shocked by the discovery of illegal drugs in the baggage they transported on behalf of others. They plan to deny the charges.
The authorities initially announced that a total of 12 kg of cocaine had been found from the three men¡¯s suitcases during customs checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. An investigation later found that the substances were marijuana weighing about 43.4 kg and worth about ?160 million.
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