Osaka Baller Doesn't Score with Drug Bust
A very sad turn to what could have been a great story on a foreigner making good in Japan. The Japan Times reported, California native and "Osaka Evessa power forward Lynn Washington, the most famous player in bj-league history, was arrested at 10:20 a.m on Tuesday for alleged involvement in the importation of between 1 kg and 1.5 kg of marijuana, media reports stated the same day."The Japan Times also reported:
"Washington was booked by Osaka Prefectural Police on Tuesday, according to published reports. His 32-year-old wife, Dana, was arrested last month, it was reported. In November, Washington's wife's name was on a package that allegedly contained marijuana and was shipped to Osaka from the United States. The marijuana had an estimated street value of up to ¥9 million, according to news reports."
Washington is a fan favorite throughout the league and was selected as the greatest player in league history. He has been one of the best ambassadors for Japanese basketball. Due to Washington's arrest the Basketball Japan League (bj-league) stated that it would conduct mandatory drug testing on players.It should be noted that the November arrest comes on the heels of Osaka police cracking down on the sale drug-like substances as reported by The Tokyo Reporter:
"The Minami entertainment district of Osaka has seen a serious growth in the sales of drugs designed to fall within a legal gray zone, but law enforcement might get the upper hand with a new law, reports Shukan Asahi Geino (Nov. 3).“Legal herbs” have documented adverse effects, but there are no laws regulating their possession and utilization, which has putting law enforcement in a difficult position.“America-mura is known to be an area for drugs,” says a news reporter covering the society beat. “There are 20 clubs situated there, an area smaller than Shibuya, and many often receive illicit drugs, like weed, from foreigners. Pedestrians are approached out of nowhere for possible transactions.”"
Black Tokyo will continue to follow and provide updates on this story.
