SEIZURE OF NARCOTIC PILLS AT RECORD-HIGH 330,000

Tokyo Customs seized about 331,000 pills of MDMA and other synthetic
narcotics last year, a record high, officials said Saturday.

Customs officials fear more and more people are taking MDMA, better
known as ecstasy, as the drug is relatively cheap. Prices of
stimulant drugs spiked following a series of crackdowns on narcotics
smuggled from North Korea.

Tokyo Customs is keeping a close eye on shipments and luggage
imported via Narita and Haneda airports as well as Tokyo, Yokohama
and Niigata ports.

The number of seized ecstasy pills and other synthetic narcotics
reached 317,000 units in 2003. However, the figure had maintained a
downward trend thereafter, sinking to about 113,500 in 2006.