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11/02/2024 09:25:05 am

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Top Toyota Executive Arrested for Smuggling Drug into Japan

Toyota

(Photo : REUTERS) Toyota's PR Chief was arrested on Thursday for allegedly smuggling illegal drugs into Japan.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested Toyota Motor Corp.'s chief communications officer Julie Hamp on Thursday for allegedly smuggling narcotics into Japan, CNN reported. 

Hamp is the company's only American top executive. Japanese authorities said that she allegedly imported oxycodone, an illegal painkiller in Japan, but a legal prescription drug in the US. She is reportedly now in jail for violating Japan's Narcotics Control Act. 

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Japanese law dictates that although a drug has been legally obtained from another country, it will be denied entry if it is considered illegal in Japan. 

A parcel for Hamp containing the drug is reported to have arrived at the Narita airport on June 11, Thursday, delivered by an international parcel service. But Hamp denied the charges, according to local media sources.

In a public statement released by Toyota, the company promised to cooperate with the authorities and get to the bottom of the incident. According to Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, the details surrounding the incident remains unclear, therefore he said it is impossible for him to make a final statement or offer an explanation for Hamp's actions at the moment.

"In addition to being a close friend of mine, Julie Hamp is an invaluable member of Toyota's team. We are confident that once the investigation is complete, it will be revealed that there was no intention on Julie's part to violate any law," Toyoda said. 

Toyoda appointed Hamp as the company's managing officer in April this year. She was expected to bring a lot of positive changes to the automotive giant. 

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