Ishikawa and Kyoto prefectural police arrested a 50-year-old Kyoto woman on suspicion of drug possession and confiscated roughly 180 kg of stimulants, authorities said Wednesday.
The amount of drugs involved in the bust was the seventh-largest ever and the third-largest this year. The stimulants' total street value was estimated at over 6.75 billion yen.
According to investigative sources, police began their raids Tuesday morning. The woman, who runs a money-lending firm, was arrested on suspicion of violating the Stimulant Drugs Control Law when about 1 kg of stimulants was reportedly found in a van in her company's parking lot. Sources said investigators believed she had hidden the drugs in the van.
A further search of the vehicle revealed about 180 kg of drugs, which were in white crystal form. They were wrapped in airtight packages in nine cardboard boxes.
The unidentified woman, as well as the seized drugs, have been transferred to Ishikawa Prefecture for further investigation.
Police believe an intricate smuggling ring is involved and are seeking to ferret out details of the whole operation, the authorities said.