Police Tuesday raided the house of a 29-year-old Osaka official of a health goods company suspected of attempting to sell an unapproved diet drug believed to have been imported from China, they said.
Officials found 18 cases of Jurin, a drug the company claimed would allow a person to lose 13 kg in 10 days. The drug was being offered for sale at 35,000 yen for five bottles. Officials believe it contains substances that chemically retard the desire to eat.
The drug was discovered after a 40-year-old woman who had taken it was admitted to a hospital after collapsing from shock. After her release from the hospital, the woman said she still has problems tasting things.
The woman said she received the medicine from an acquaintance linked to the underworld syndicate Yamaguchi-gumi. Police are looking into whether stocks of the drug are mob-linked.