A Vietnamese man in his 20s died of drug poisoning in Osaka this year, and the investigation into his death led police to what they describe as two major bases for drug dealing by Vietnamese nationals in the city's Minami district.
In May, the man was found unconscious leaning against a wall on the grounds of a building housing a nightclub in Minami. A person connected to the club called 119 at around 5 a.m., the Asahi Shimbun reported. He was taken to a hospital, where his death was confirmed.
Osaka prefectural police said a judicial autopsy found the cause of death to be poisoning by drugs including the synthetic narcotic MDMA.
The scene was 68K-Club, a venue in the area known as Amerika-mura, or "American Village", where secondhand clothing stores, live houses and bars crowd together and draw young people and foreign tourists.
A club known on social media as a place to buy drugs
An acquaintance of the dead man told investigators he knew from social media that the club was a place where drugs were sold, according to the international investigation division. Others connected to the club also told police that illegal drugs "were widespread inside" and that they had "bought them at the store", the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Police concluded the man had bought drugs there and taken them, and on the view that the club may be a base for drug dealing, they searched it at the end of August with about 140 officers.
Officers checked the belongings of two Japanese staff members and more than 150 Vietnamese people at the site, and seized numerous powders suspected of being illegal drugs. They arrested nine Vietnamese people on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control Act, and four of them were rearrested on suspicion of using illegal drugs under the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act, according to investigation sources.
A second building 200 meters away
At the end of June, police also searched a multi-tenant building in Minami known as "79 Building", which houses several businesses aimed at Vietnamese customers. It stands about 200 meters in a straight line from 68K-Club, near the Dotonbori River.
The seven-story building held a nightclub, restaurants, karaoke and other Vietnamese-related businesses. In August, police arrested eight Vietnamese people on suspicion of possessing stimulants inside the building during the search. In October, they arrested three Vietnamese people and a Japanese man who works for the building's operating company on suspicion of possessing MDMA and ketamine for commercial purposes at the time of the search.
A senior prefectural police official said investigators regard 68K-Club and 79 Building as "the two major bases for drug dealing by Vietnamese people in Osaka" and are continuing to investigate. Both operators deny involvement in drug dealing or use, according to investigation sources.