Tokyo police have found all the evidence they need to prove that actress/singer Sakai Noriko (38) was a user of methamphetamine. In a search of her home they found not only carelessly hidden drugs but also the paraphenalia for using them. A test revealed Sakai’s DNA, confirming her husband’s statement that they had taken drugs together. Sakai is still on the run, with her last known location thought to be in Yamanashi Prefecture. It has been revealed that on Sunday night, immediately after she refused to allow police to search her or to accompany them to the police station for a urine test, she withdrew several hundred thousand yen from a convenience store ATM. She is known to have bought underwear and cosmetics and returned briefly to her home before going into hiding. Her husband was arrested on the spot on Sunday night, and an arrest warrant for Sakai was issued on Thursday.
It was also revealed yesterday that Sakai’s younger brother Takeshi (30) was recently arrested on a drug charge, though the incidents are thought to be unrelated. Takeshi is a member of the Yamaguchi Gumi organized crime organization in Fukuoka, his family’s hometown. He was arrested on June 29 for using threats of violence to take a car and cash from an acquaintance. While he was on bail in that case, police thought his behavior suspicious and subjected him to a urine test. When that test proved positive for MDMA, he was arrested on July 17. His court case is due to begin August 28.