BEIJING (AP) A 70-year-old Japanese local politician has been formally arrested in southern China on charges of transporting illegal drugs, Chinese prosecutors said Monday.
Takuma Sakuragi, a member of the Inazawa city assembly in Aichi prefecture, and two other foreigners attempted to transport more than three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of methamphetamines from China to Japan, according to Guangzhou city prosecutors.
An online statement from the Guangzhou Municipal People's Procuratorate said security personnel at Guangzhou's main airport found the drugs in Sakuragi's suitcase on Oct. 31. Sakuragi was then taken into custody. Two other suspects were seized on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, the statement said.
In 2010, China executed four Japanese citizens for drug smuggling and trafficking.
