ID :
202490
Sat, 08/20/2011 - 18:46
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https://oananews.org//node/202490
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Drug smuggling cases may be videotaped to help with prosecutions+
TOKYO, Aug. 20 Kyodo -
Customs authorities are considering audio- or video- recording questioning and investigations of suspects in drug smuggling cases at airports following a series of not-guilty decisions in lay judge trials, investigation sources said Saturday.
In many cases, suspects deny smuggling, claiming, for instance, they did not know drugs were inside their belongings. A customs official said, ''If we can videotape strange behavior or excuses right after what they have in their possession is pointed out, the credibility of our cases will be enhanced in the course of trials.''
Some customs offices such as those in Narita, Kansai and Hiroshima airports have been experimenting with videotaping the discovery of illegal drugs up until suspects are arrested by police and providing the courts with the footage, the sources said.
At Narita, Japan's main international gateway, a record 119 kilograms of stimulant drugs were seized in the first half of this year. Smuggling methods included using a wheelchair or chocolate-coated cookies to hide drugs.
In one instance, the customs office at Narita taped an officer detecting methamphetamines hidden in a suitcase as well as the suspect being taken to an office for questioning and a chemical test. The process was taped until the arrest of the suspect by police.
Tape taken at Hiroshima was admitted as evidence and helped to convict a suspect, the sources said. Cases of smuggling of a stimulant drug for profit are tried by a panel of professional and lay judges.
''It is an arduous task to prepare evidence that destroys the lies of a drug carrier and gain understanding of citizen judges who are not accustomed to drug cases,'' said a prosecutor.
Since last year, defendants have been found not guilty by lay judges in five cases. In all these cases, the defendants' claims such as denial of carrying drugs were accepted.
Customs bureaus are keen on expanding videotaping to cover the investigation process even after the arrests of suspects. But since customs officers do not have the right to arrest and questioning of suspects by police is on a voluntary basis, the bureaus are currently in talks with the Justice Ministry and the National Police Agency to see if it is possible to institutionalize videotaping the entire process.
==Kyodo
2011-08-20 23:32:35
Customs authorities are considering audio- or video- recording questioning and investigations of suspects in drug smuggling cases at airports following a series of not-guilty decisions in lay judge trials, investigation sources said Saturday.
In many cases, suspects deny smuggling, claiming, for instance, they did not know drugs were inside their belongings. A customs official said, ''If we can videotape strange behavior or excuses right after what they have in their possession is pointed out, the credibility of our cases will be enhanced in the course of trials.''
Some customs offices such as those in Narita, Kansai and Hiroshima airports have been experimenting with videotaping the discovery of illegal drugs up until suspects are arrested by police and providing the courts with the footage, the sources said.
At Narita, Japan's main international gateway, a record 119 kilograms of stimulant drugs were seized in the first half of this year. Smuggling methods included using a wheelchair or chocolate-coated cookies to hide drugs.
In one instance, the customs office at Narita taped an officer detecting methamphetamines hidden in a suitcase as well as the suspect being taken to an office for questioning and a chemical test. The process was taped until the arrest of the suspect by police.
Tape taken at Hiroshima was admitted as evidence and helped to convict a suspect, the sources said. Cases of smuggling of a stimulant drug for profit are tried by a panel of professional and lay judges.
''It is an arduous task to prepare evidence that destroys the lies of a drug carrier and gain understanding of citizen judges who are not accustomed to drug cases,'' said a prosecutor.
Since last year, defendants have been found not guilty by lay judges in five cases. In all these cases, the defendants' claims such as denial of carrying drugs were accepted.
Customs bureaus are keen on expanding videotaping to cover the investigation process even after the arrests of suspects. But since customs officers do not have the right to arrest and questioning of suspects by police is on a voluntary basis, the bureaus are currently in talks with the Justice Ministry and the National Police Agency to see if it is possible to institutionalize videotaping the entire process.
==Kyodo
2011-08-20 23:32:35
