TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an unemployed woman on suspicion of illegally selling over 1,000 imported sleeping pills to minors and others through social media, reports Nippon News Network (Oct. 15).
According to Tokyo police, Nobue Ochiai is accused of operating without a license when she sold 1,130 sleeping pills to three individuals, including a 15-year-old girl, between last year and this year.
Investigators allege Ochiai imported the prescription medications from overseas and solicited customers on social media platforms, luring buyers with messages such as, “If you take a lot, you’ll get high.”
Authorities believe the suspect operated a lucrative illicit business, conducting approximately 1,900 transactions and racking up an estimated 20 million yen in sales.
During a search of her residence, police seized a massive stockpile of more than 30,000 sleeping pills.
Upon her arrest, Ochiai admitted to the allegations but attempted to justify her actions. “I started selling them with the desire to quickly deliver medicines to people who were seeking them,” she told investigators.