NAVY INVESTIGATORS ON OKINAWA PUT A CRIMP
IN THE DRUG TRADE

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa - In the last six months a special narcotics unit of
the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in Okinawa has put a significant
dent in the island's illegal drug trade.

Working with Okinawa drug enforcement agents, the special operations team,
consisting of three NCIS agents and two local Japanese Master Labor
Contract employees assigned to the office, shut down a major marijuana
operation in Okinawa City, where the rooftop of a building near Kadena Air
Base had been turned into a marijuana garden.

"We got some good information from some of our sources and were able to
work with the Okinawa Narcotics Control Office to seize 18 good-sized
plants in August," said Special Agent Brian Brittingham.

In addition to the plants seized from the Gate Two Street rooftop garden,
the agents seized 228 grams (about 8 ounces) of marijuana-laced cookie
dough. The "gardener" also owned a local spaghetti shop where the marijuana
cookies were sold, Brittingham said.

Since March the team has helped to arrest more than 50 suspects, mostly
Japanese selling to American servicemembers, and seized about $200,000
worth of narcotics, Brittingham said.

And the unit doesn't limit its activities to Okinawa.

"We also helped with the seizure of 55 plants in Okayama Prefecture,"
Brittingham said. Okayama is near Hiroshima and the Iwakuni Marine Corps
Air Station in Japan. The team also investigated cases involving cocaine,
Ecstasy, illegal steroids and a designer drug called AMT
(alpha-methyltryptamine), a hallucinogen.

"The special operations unit goes anywhere in the Far East, before major
deployments," said Joe Kennedy, NCIS Okinawa's supervisory special agent.
"At the last Balikatan exercise, in the Philippines, we assisted in the
arrest of 25 individuals and seized some drugs and vehicles.

"We go in before the actual exercise and work with local police to identify
local drug dealers who want to seek out our servicemen," Kennedy said.
"These guys have done a great job. We've got a special ops unit here that's
taking a proactive approach. They're not just sitting back and waiting for
the phone to ring. They're out there turning over the rocks."

The effort paid off in October when the unit was cited for the Philippines
operation by the International Narcotics Officers' Enforcement Association
during the association's annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Local police also have high praise for the unit.

Masaaki Sunakozawa, director of the Okinawa Narcotics Control Office of the
Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, said that his office enjoys the
close working relations with NCIS.

"It is working very well," he said during a phone interview.

He said in the case involving the spaghetti restaurant, the initial
information provided by military personnel to NCIS led to the arrests.

"There are many more marijuana cases on Okinawa compared to mainland Japan,
where 90 percent of drug cases involve stimulant substances," Sunakozawa
said. "Here on Okinawa, marijuana involves about 50 percent of all drug
cases while the rest involves stimulants."

Sunakozawa said the Okinawa dealers have switched to homegrown marijuana
since customs police have become adept at identifying and seizing shipments
from overseas.

"As a recent trend, seeds are smuggled in, instead of the plants," he said.

"They obtain seeds through [the] Internet and grow their own plants outside
or even inside the house. In such cases, a sighting of the plants by
neighbors is one way to find the illegal plants."

But marijuana use is not common in Japan, he said, and many Okinawans don't
know what marijuana looks like. To the untrained eye, a marijuana plant can
look like any other green plant in a pot.

"On the other hand, American people in general have good knowledge about
the plants," he said. "I understand educational activities for the
prevention of drug abuse start at an early age," he said. "Information from
Americans is, therefore, very helpful."

"To achieve our common goal, we would like to further promote our close
working relations with NCIS," Sunakozawa said.

"In my five years on Okinawa, the cooperation we have with our local
counterparts is the best it's ever been," Brittingham said.

"This has been a joint effort - seamless law enforcement between our unit
and the Japanese," Kennedy said. "We wouldn't be able to do what we do
without their help.

"Our message is that for every ounce of drugs we get to first, is another
ounce that doesn't make it to the hands of our troops, civilians or family
members," Kennedy said.

The unit also spends time giving educational briefings to various commands
concerning Okinawa's drug scene.

"Generally, Okinawa is a pretty safe environment, but there are still
dangers out there," Brittingham said. "So we try to tell people to not be
lulled to sleep because it is such a safe place. Don't fall asleep
completely: Be mindful, and be observant."

And call NCIS if you see anything suspicious, Kennedy added.

"Anyone with information regarding drug activity is urged to call us at
645-0213."