A 36-year-old Colombian man was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for committing robberies in Fukuoka, Kochi and Niigata prefectures in November and December.
Police alleged that Manuel Castaneda is a member of a group of Colombian robbers.
Judge Isoo Sakaki of the Niigata District Court said Castaneda's crimes were "well planned and their tactics were sneaky and malicious." Prosecutors had demanded a five-year prison sentence.
Castaneda conspired with fellow Colombians to steal 47.8 million yen from the Fukuoka branch of Bank of Saga on July 8, 113.5 million yen worth of jewelry in Kochi on Dec. 11, and 10 million yen from a woman at a coffee shop in Niigata on Dec. 26.