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Australian Male Arrested on Drug Smuggling Charges After Entering Japan for Osaka Marathon



On Apr. 9 the Kinki Region Bureau of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Division arrested Matthew Inglis Fox, 38, an Australian business owner of no known fixed address, on charges of violating the importation regulations of the Narcotics Control Act by smuggling tablets containing marijuana elements from the United States. The suspect had entered Japan in February to run in the Osaka Marathon.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of smuggling approximately 12 pills containing marijuana by sending them from a U.S. airport to Osaka's Kansai Airport using an international courier service on Feb. 19. The Osaka branch of the Customs Service discovered the tablets in arriving cargo and suspected them to be narcotics. Customs contacted the Narcotics Control Division, which then began its investigation of the case. According to the Narcotics Control Division, the suspect denies the charges. 

Translator's note: Fox, who received a lifetime ban from the Ageo City Half Marathon in 2023 for bib cheating, was a DNF in Osaka after going through halfway in 1:08:45.

photo © 2023 Itagaki.yo, all rights reserved

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Comments

Anonymous said…
Matt fox - never a dull moment 🤣
April 11, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Anonymous said…
Please keep us posted as the story develops.
April 27, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Anonymous said…
Any updates on where this story is?
June 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Brett Larner said…
I haven't seen anything else in the news.
June 11, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Anonymous said…
Must be out of shape by now
June 13, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Anonymous said…
He is posting on Strava now from Gold Coast, Australia and claims to have taken 4.5 months "off." Whether it's him actually posting is the big question...
August 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM
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