10,000 cannabis plants seized in Wakayama factory raid; four arrested
Police raided a factory in Katsuragi, Wakayama, on 16 November 2016 and seized more than 10,000 cannabis plants valued at about 2 billion yen. Four Osaka men were arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana for sale.
A police raid on a factory in the small town of Katsuragi, Wakayama Prefecture, uncovered a cannabis haul with an estimated street value of 2 billion yen (about 18.3 million dollars).[1][2]Officers seized more than 10,000 cannabis plants in the operation, which police announced on Wednesday 16 November 2016.[1][2]
Police arrested four men from Osaka on suspicion of possessing marijuana for sale, serving fresh arrest warrants on the same day the seizure was displayed at a Nara prefectural police station.[2]They included 54-year-old Junichi Kimura, described as a senior gang member.[1]
Displayed as evidence
Part of the seized haul was photographed piled at a Nara prefectural police station as evidence of the factory raid in neighbouring Wakayama.[2]
Photos and video
Part of the seized cannabis displayed at a Nara police station on 16 November 2016Photo details
No weight for the seized plants was published, so only the plant count appears.
The original Japan Today page could not be reopened, so its text was read through a mirror; both opened English sources trace to the same wire account.
No later court outcome for the four arrested men was reported in the opened sources.
A 43-year-old Turkish man was arrested in Gifu on suspicion of using cannabis after a fire in his apartment building sent 12 residents to hospital with minor injuries. Police found cannabis components in his urine during the fire investigation and are examining any link between the drug use and the blaze.
A 28-year-old company employee from Kurashiki was arrested on 11 November 2026 for allegedly using cannabis between May and August 2026. A roadside questioning on 31 August and a urine test led to the arrest, which the man admitted.
Osaka police arrested two men from Ikuno Ward over the alleged sale of an item as cannabis, including a man who once fought in the BreakingDown event. A plant fragment found in one suspect's car tested as cannabis, and seized phones pointed to deals with several people.
Metropolitan Police seized about 180 kilograms of cannabis with a street value of 720 million yen from a Tokyo condominium in July 2008, the largest amount ever taken in a Japanese police raid. A 40-year-old Tokyo executive and a 22-year-old Chinese student were arrested for allegedly possessing the drug for sale.
