Japan Makes First Bitcoin-Related Drug Arrest

Japan Makes First Bitcoin-Related Drug Arrest

Japanese authorities have arrested a suspected drug importer who allegedly used bitcoin to pay his Mexican suppliers. According to Channel News Asia, the case is the first of its kind in the country - an arrest for a crime involving both drugs and digital currency. The suspect has been named as 38-year-old Ayumu Teramoto and his arrest was carried out by police forces in Tokyo and Fukuoka. Teramoto is suspected of buying and importing illegal stimulants - terms usually used in the Japanese media to describe cocaine and methamphetamines. Bitcoin payment. The suspect allegedly used ¥3.5m....


Related News

Japan to Crack Down on Illegal Bitcoin Use, But Delays Regulation

Japan does not want people buying drugs with Bitcoin – but it doesn’t want to regulate the currency either (not yet, anyway). Japanese government officials are looking into ways to monitor illegal transactions paid for in digital currency, but are putting off regulating Bitcoin and its brothers under current law, according to a report by Kyodo News International published Tuesday. Fears about Bitcoin use in criminal activity have come to the forefront of government attention since Japan made its first arrest for alleged drug trafficking using Bitcoin earlier this month. The suspect....

Japan to Crack Down on Bitcoin Crime, Court Industry Investment

The government of Japan has announced that it intends to increase oversight of illegal transactions that are carried out using digital currencies like bitcoin. The news comes amid increasing fears in the country that criminal organizations are using bitcoin for money laundering and drug dealing, according to a new report from Kyodo News International. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is now expected to set in motion a plan for how it will monitor illicit trade involving digital currency, working with other government agencies such as the Financial Services Agency and....

Kripos Shuts Down Major Dark Web Drugs Marketplace

Ever since the Silk Road platform came to fruition, Bitcoin seems to become a favourite form of payment across dark web marketplaces. Kripos, the Norwegian Police Service’s specialized agency, is close to concluding their largest operation – dubbed Marco Polo – against a drug ring on the dark web. The dark web is attracting all types of Internet criminals these days, and online drug trafficking is just one of the many types of business taking place. A recent sting by Kripos in Norway led to the arrest of fifteen individuals, all of whom were involved in drug trafficking on the dark web.....

Mt Gox CEO Mark Karpeles Arrested in Japan

Police arrested Mt Gox CEO Mark Karpeles today in Japan on allegations that he manipulated volume on the then-market leading bitcoin exchange platform prior to its 2014 collapse. The formal action from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police follows escalating reports this week that Karpeles was facing criminal charges for fraud and embezzlement, and comes more than a year after Mt Gox first filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Japan. A report by The Wall Street Journal indicated Karpeles denied he was facing imminent arrest as early as Friday, calling accusations "false" and suggesting....

Former CEO of Bitcoin Exchange Mt Gox Re-arrested in Japan

Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of the now defunct bitcoin exchange Mt Gox, has been re-arrested on charges of embezzlement. According to local media reports, Tokyo's Metropolitan Police served Karpeles with a new arrest warrant earlier today. Reports suggesting a re-arrest was a possibility first surfaced yesterday amid claims he had embezzled ¥321m ($2.6m) of customer deposits to fund other personal projects. As previously reported by CoinDesk, Karpeles has been in custody for the past three weeks - the maximum time period suspects can be detained without being formally charged. The new....