Approximately 220 tons of lead, extracted from car batteries, were about to be illegally exported when the Kanagawa Prefectural Police’s Economic Crime Division and the Yokohama Water Police Station intervened. On February 27, they had arrested a 52-year-old Chinese Woman, the president of the scrap metal company “Dourin Yuwa”, on suspicion of violating the Customs Act. The company itself was also referred to prosecutors as a corporate entity.
According to the arrest charges, the suspect, in collusion with employees, allegedly falsely declared aluminum scrap to Yokohama Customs on September 6, 2023, in an attempt to export approximately 220 tons of lead to Malaysia.
The Economic Crime Division stated that the woman admitted the company had exported lead but denied her involvement, claiming: “we were exporting lead, but I’m not part of this. The headquarters in China was the one calling the shots.”
