tornadoes28 Says:
May 28th, 2008 at 12:02 am
The article only states that the customs officials asked for it to be returned if found? If this happened in the US, the article would always state that officials are conducting an investigation into what happened or are taking measures to prevent it from happeneing or even that they will discontinue this type of exercise.
Apparantly not in Japan. the only statement from customs is “please return it”.
Let me answer your question. And since he blocks my comment, I'll write it here.
Customs lose hash stash planted in traveler's luggage to train sniffer dogs
NARITA -- Customs officials have lost 124 grams of hashish they planted in an unknowing traveler's luggage to train drug sniffing dogs, the head of Narita Customs said Monday.
Customs officials are banned from using travelers' luggage for training practices, but one worker said it was common practice.
"We want to improve the sniffer dogs' ability, so we have practiced this way several times in the past," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Manpei Tanaka, head of Customs' Narita branch, apologized for the incident.
"It's extremely regrettable that we have invited this sort of situation on ourselves. We will investigate the facts behind the case, provide thorough training and deal strictly with those involved," Tanaka said.
Customs said the hash was stored in a metal container stuffed into the pocket of a soft, black suitcase belonging to one of 283 passengers traveling on Cathay Pacific Flight 520 from Hong Kong to Narita, which arrived at 3:31 p.m. on Sunday. The owner of the suitcase is unknown and passengers were not informed that their luggage would be used to train the drug-seeking dogs.
Customs officials said four customs officials had two sniffer dogs working a luggage conveyor at Narita, but neither was able to find the drugs. Police are asking passengers on the flight about the missing drugs.
Customs regulations require customs officials to prepare luggage for training exercises like the one carried out on Sunday and specifically ban travelers' baggage from being used.(Mainichi Japan) May 26, 2008
Does that answer your question?
(If you feel this is not specified enough, give me some examples from the U.S.articles which will answer your question.)
Actually if you can read Japanese, and if you look at
LB's post, I suppose you didn't ask these questions, because they have answered your question.
Mr Arudou, for some reason, didn't translate them for you despite your question.
I am a bit surprised that somebody read Mr Arudou's articles at face value and I am a bit disappointed that somebody jumps to the conclusion based on Mr Arudos post alone.
What this customs official did was unforgivable.
But I am inclined to agree with LB, I wonder how Mr Arudou's conspiracy theory holds.
Notice Mr Arudou wrote his article based on CNN's article alone. The CNN article does not mention Cathay Pacific Flight.In other words, the CNN article does not give any clue as for whether the custom officer intentionally chose foreigner's suitcase. And yet he concluded the custom officers used foreigners as Guinea Pig . It was purely his speculation.
Now later it turned out the flight was Cathay Pacific. Does it follow that passengers were foreigners? Sure there might be foreigners, but I guess a Cathay Pacific flight from and to Tokyo is also filled with Japanese businessmen.
So far there is no reasonable ground to infer that the customs officer intentionally selected a foreigner's bag.
So Mr Arudou has drawn his conclusion based on his bias.
Mark in Yayoi says
Baggage usually has a label on it indicating the owner.
But if the he knew the label, it must have been much easier to find out the passenger. But the fact is that Tokyo customs office got contact with 283 passenger who were on board to find out the luggage.(ANN News on
Japan probe(Incidentally notice nobody holds the conspiracy theory on Japan Probe))
Mark in yayoi also says
It’s inconceivable that the customs official didn’t have some idea that their free training dummy was non-Japanese.
It's inconceivable either that the customs official didn't have some idea that their free training dummy was Japanese.Because there must have been many passengers, Japanese and non-Japanese. Rather it is most likely he didn't think of nationality when he put a bag of marijuana in the luggage.
Is itcommon practice in USA that a customs official set a foreigner up by putting a bag of marijuana in a suitcase? Is that why they hold such a conspiracy theory?
