Japanese national suspected of producing cannabis oil

THAILAND (TR) – Police in Chiang Mai have arrested five persons, including a Japanese national, for allegedly operating a cannabis oil factory, reports TV Asahi (Oct. 4).

On Saturday, police and officials from the Embassy of Japan raided a three-story building in the Muang District and seized about 100 marijuana plants, growing equipment and chemicals and packing boxes.

According to law enforcement, the Japanese national is Katsuhisa Komiya, a 41-year-old student a university in Chiang Mai. The Thai nationals were not identified.

The plants were grown on the third floor. On the floors below, cannabis oil and e-cigarettes were produced and packaged, according to the Bangkok Post (Oct. 4).

The contraband was sold via Twitter to customers in Japan and Thailand. The investigation is continuing to learn the routes used to distribute the products.