Toyota communications chief Julie Hamp has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of smuggling illegal painkiller drugs.
The Nikkei news agency reported that the US executive was arrested following an alleged shipment of illegal painkiller pills that was intercepted by Japanese customs and subsequently reported to the police.
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The report said that a package with 57 pills containing opioid oxycodone was allegedly shipped to her address. Oxycodone is a pain reliever that also has a side effect of creating euphoria; it is available on prescription only in Japan and the drug may be imported only by businesses with permission from the health minister, Nikkei reported.
Hamp was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Tokyo. The report also said that a police official said she had previously received other packages via international mail, and they will be investigated to see if they are relevant to the case. Some reports say the large number of pills involved mean that the question of ‘personal use or not’ will be a critical one.
Reuters reported that Hamp told police she did not think she had imported an illegal substance.
Toyota said in a statement that it is confident the investigation would reveal that Hamp had no intention of violating the law. Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda said in the statement: “In addition to being a close friend of mine, Julie Hamp is an invaluable member of Toyota’s team. We are confident that once the investigation is complete, it will be revealed that there was no intention on Julie’s part to violate any law.”
However, the arrest is bound to be an embarrassment for Toyota. Recently appointed Hamp is an American and the company’s most senior female executive.
