Called to police questioning, what to do?

[ADHWGT]

Or they are looking for an excuse to travel around on the tax payers' dime and avoid doing any real work.

I found it quite amusing how they phrased it: "You can't afford to come to Osaka, right? So we will come to you." Like it was a foregone conclusion.

[ADHWGT]

You say that possession of this item is not illegal in your country, so family and clients overseas will probably feel more sympathy for you than anything else if you tell the truth. It will be better than the worry they feel when you make no response to contact for (up to) over three weeks. They might think that you have done something stupid, but not that you are a hardened criminal.

Thanks for your concern. You're right that they certainly wouldn't view me as a hardened criminal (they know me well enough to know better), but it would still be really embarrassing to tell my family about this whole ordeal. Maybe I should simply try to get over that.

[wagyl]

One weird thing: she said the police can pretty easily extract information from my password-protected computer and phone. I found this hard to believe, considering the FBI had to go so far as to ask Apple for a backdoor in order to unlock a terrorist's phone (as you may be aware, Apple refused), and those Graykey kits that certain parts of American law enforcement have started using apparently take upwards of 50 days on average to crack an 8-digit passcode.

You have other things to consider of greater priority at the moment, but just for your information, there is more to the Apple and FBI episode than meets the eye, involving opportunism on the part of the FBI, and interdepartmental rivalry. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/2 ... _showdown/ It still cost them about a million USD in that case and gained no evidence of any value.

[wagyl]

it would still be really embarrassing to tell my family about this whole ordeal. Maybe I should simply try to get over that.

One thing I have learned with the bitter experience of years, is that bad news never gets better by delaying your reporting of it. It is unpleasant and embarrassing, but the alternatives are often worse, and you still have to give the bad news at the end of that anyway.

[ADHWGT]

One thing I have learned with the bitter experience of years, is that bad news never gets better by delaying your reporting of it. It is unpleasant and embarrassing, but the alternatives are often worse, and you still have to give the bad news at the end of that anyway.

Again, thanks for your concern. Really appreciate it, as well as the fact that there are at least a few people out there rooting for me, even though they don't know me at all. It gives me a bit of comfort in these stressful (to say the least) times.

[Russell]

Hmm, it seems that your order could also be used as an oxidizer for solid fuels such as polyethylene or HTPB. Very convenient for your model rocket hobby. Just don't tell them you were going to need all those rockets to fire at the Emperor's palace...

OK, on a serious note, just trying to cheer you up! Good luck!

[FG Lurker]

Good luck with things next week, hope it goes as smoothly as possible.

The cop who called you was being honest when he said if their intention was to arrest you they wouldn't have called. They would've allowed the import of the item and then busted you after you signed for delivery.

I know this because a friend of a friend who was a JET in Shimane had this happen to him. His girlfriend sent him a clearly illegal substance that everyone and their dog knows is illegal in Japan. It was sent by EMS, discovered by customs, and resulted in him getting arrested soon after he signed for the package. He spent 6 months in pre-trial lockup before being given a suspended sentence and then immediately leaving Japan.

[ADHWGT]

Good luck with things next week, hope it goes as smoothly as possible.

Thanks, man!

The cop who called you was being honest when he said if their intention was to arrest you they wouldn't have called. They would've allowed the import of the item and then busted you after you signed for delivery.

I know this because a friend of a friend who was a JET in Shimane had this happen to him. His girlfriend sent him a clearly illegal substance that everyone and their dog knows is illegal in Japan. It was sent by EMS, discovered by customs, and resulted in him getting arrested soon after he signed for the package. He spent 6 months in pre-trial lockup before being given a suspended sentence and then immediately leaving Japan.

Thanks for sharing. This makes sense to me – I mean, if they really thought I was going to use this stuff to get high, why not wait until I'd actually done it, when it would be 100 times easier for them to prove my malicious intent? They'd have physical evidence of my wrongdoing and everything. So I really hope they're trying to bust the seller, not me. But on the other hand, I kind of expect the worst from the Japanese police. If I'm not CONVICTED I'm happy. 23 days in the slammer I can (hopefully) handle. Being deported, and not able to visit Japan, the US and a number of other countries ever again due to a drug conviction, feels like a much more depressing prospect.

[FG Lurker]

Apple will update iOS to block police hacking tool
Russell Brandom | June 13, 2018

For months, police across the country have been using a device called a GrayKey to unlock dormant iPhones, using an undisclosed technique to sidestep Apple’s default disk encryption. [...]

But according to a new Reuters report, Apple is planning to release a new feature to iOS that would make those devices useless in the majority of cases, potentially sparking a return to the encryption standoff between law enforcement and device manufacturers.

Under the new feature, iPhones will cut off all communication through the USB port if they have not been unlocked in the past hour. Once the hour expires, the USB port can only be used to charge the device. [...]

According to a Malware Bytes report published in March, GrayKey works by installing some kind of low-level software through the iPhone’s Lightning port. After plugging into the GrayKey device briefly, the target iPhone will continue to run the GrayKey software on its own, displaying the device’s passcode on-screen between two hours and three days after the software was installed.

(Full Story)

Not that I have anything on my phone that would be of particular interest to law enforcement but I'll definitely be installing the new update when it comes out...

Edit: Formatting & anon link fix.

[ADHWGT]

Not that I have anything on my phone that would be of particular interest to law enforcement but I'll definitely be installing the new update when it comes out...

Yeah, too bad for me it hasn't already, lol. But I would be impressed if they managed to crack my phone (which has a long, complicated alphanumeric password) using a Graykey or whatever they have at their disposal. And even if they did, I doubt they'd find anything that could be considered incriminating. Not like I've been messaging people about this cool illegal thing I've ordered and how they're welcome to share it with me when it arrives.

The lawyer did mention that the police might be able to obtain my search history straight from my ISP, though... Man, that's an unpleasant thought for more reasons than I'd care to explain on here! Although obviously my search habits wouldn't PROVE any criminal activity (IE, if I search for information about something illegal, that doesn't mean I've DONE something illegal), but who knows how they'd be able to twist the information in that treasure trove of embarrassing data to suit their needs.

[FG Lurker]

You need to download and use TOR if you're doing anything questionable. It's free, pretty secure, and the new versions are super easy to use. Click & go, no tech knowledge required. Don't use Google with TOR, either. Duck Duck Go is nowhere near as good as Google but they don't keep logs so the combination of TOR and DDG is pretty secure -- as secure as possible in the modern world of surveillance, anyway. If you've been posting on forums with existing IDs then make new IDs and don't access those IDs (or anything connected to those IDs, such as an email account) from anything outside TOR. Keep your TOR life and your non-TOR life completely separated.

If it's your pr0n habits then a VPN that doesn't keep logs is the best answer. Streaming over TOR isn't really workable.

[ADHWGT]

You need to download and use TOR if you're doing anything questionable. It's free, pretty secure, and the new versions are super easy to use. Click & go, no tech knowledge required. Don't use Google with TOR, either. Duck Duck Go is nowhere near as good as Google but they don't keep logs so the combination of TOR and DDG is pretty secure -- as secure as possible in the modern world of surveillance, anyway. If you've been posting on forums with existing IDs then make new IDs and don't access those IDs (or anything connected to those IDs, such as an email account) from anything outside TOR. Keep your TOR life and your non-TOR life completely separated.

If it's your pr0n habits then a VPN that doesn't keep logs is the best answer. Streaming over TOR isn't really workable.

Add this to the list of things I should have thought of months ago. My searches (those that might land me in hot water, so it wasn't exactly only innocuous stuff like "sexy asian ladies" or w/e) had a lot to do with illegal activities. I still fail to see how this PROVES anything (I was curious about illegal activities, I was even writing a commissioned article about the history of a specific drug for a major magazine in my home country), but through cherry-picking they could definitely portray me as an unsavory character.

As for my porn habits, I couldn't care less. At least there's nothing illegal in there (well, maybe a copyright violation or two, but then again, who among us...?). Good luck painting me as a junkie with that nonsense.

[FG Lurker]

But I would be impressed if they managed to crack my phone (which has a long, complicated alphanumeric password) using a Graykey or whatever they have at their disposal.

It depends on if they are doing a standard brute-force attack or if they have found some sort of weakness in Apple's security that they are exploiting. If it's the former then a strong alphanumeric passphrase is likely to be effective. If it's the latter then all bets are off.

[FG Lurker]

Add this to the list of things I should have thought of months ago.

You can add it to your collection of knowledge going forward.

[ADHWGT]

It depends on if they are doing a standard brute-force attack or if they have found some sort of weakness in Apple's security that they are exploiting. If it's the former then a strong alphanumeric passphrase is likely to be effective. If it's the latter then all bets are off.

Translation: basically wipe my phone completely before going in, just to be 100% safe, then restore it from Icloud when I get it back?

[FG Lurker]

I wouldn't advise doing that, destroying evidence for an active investigation is a crime itself in most countries. An overly clean phone is also likely to attract even more attention.

[Mike Oxlong]

[ADHWGT]

Apparently I misunderstood how the whole questioning thing works in Japan. As I'm sure some of you are already aware, my lawyer can't actually be present in the room, which came as a surprise to me. So basically I'll have to wing it if they have any new "evidence" (search history is the only thing I can imagine them using against me; it's not like they're gonna have witness statements or anything) to throw at me. That's not very comforting at all...

[legion]

Apparently I misunderstood how the whole questioning thing works in Japan. As I'm sure some of you are already aware, my lawyer can't actually be present in the room, which came as a surprise to me. So basically I'll have to wing it if they have any new "evidence" (search history is the only thing I can imagine them using against me; it's not like they're gonna have witness statements or anything) to throw at me. That's not very comforting at all...

Don't over estimate the competence of the police.

[ADHWGT]

Don't over estimate the competence of the police.

Haha, thanks, now I feel a little better. But sitting there without having someone to warn me when I shouldn't answer a specific question is not something I look forward to.

[FG Lurker]

Do let us know how everything goes.

[wagyl]

Don't over estimate the competence of the police.

Haha, thanks, now I feel a little better. But sitting there without having someone to warn me when I shouldn't answer a specific question is not something I look forward to.

Things to bear in mind:

• Just because someone asks you a question doesn't mean that you are forced to answer it.
• Confirming facts which you are certain that they already know* is fine and shows you to be cooperative, but be very careful about adding any extra information to their arsenal.
  * Police, everywhere, can and will lie about what they already know, in the hope that you will confirm what they are in fact only guessing.
• The police will try to make you feel uncomfortable about not cooperating with them more. In fact, you are fully entitled to be uncomfortable, since you are in their house and they are forcing their rules on you. It is OK to be minimalist in your answers. You are right to feel uncomfortable and wary of a trap.
• Before answering, always think about why they are asking the question. How will they use your answer? What is their purpose?
• Beware the friendly, ice-breaking chat, about family, work, hobbies (perhaps in this case, cooking, or parties with friends, or music tastes). Do not expose a thread that they can pull and unravel somewhere else.

At this stage, all you really know that they know is that you were the addressee of a parcel with certain contents, plus anything else you have told them already. You do not know what information they have been able to obtain from Amazon, if any, or even if they have asked. Unless the quantities make you look like Mr Big I doubt that they would go as far as cyber forensics, they are just hoping for easy access to information from you to investigate.

[ADHWGT]

Things to bear in mind:

• Just because someone asks you a question doesn't mean that you are forced to answer it.
• Confirming facts which you are certain that they already know* is fine and shows you to be cooperative, but be very careful about adding any extra information to their arsenal.
  * Police, everywhere, can and will lie about what they already know, in the hope that you will confirm what they are in fact only guessing.
• The police will try to make you feel uncomfortable about not cooperating with them more. In fact, you are fully entitled to be uncomfortable, since you are in their house and they are forcing their rules on you. It is OK to be minimalist in your answers. You are right to feel uncomfortable and wary of a trap.
• Before answering, always think about why they are asking the question. How will they use your answer? What is their purpose?
• Beware the friendly, ice-breaking chat, about family, work, hobbies (perhaps in this case, cooking, or parties with friends, or music tastes). Do not expose a thread that they can pull and unravel somewhere else.

Thanks! This is all very helpful, I appreciate you taking the time to give me a few pointers. (I'm lucky there's so many hardened criminals on this board that can advice me on how to deal with the police, lol.)

Here's the latest development: they called me today to confirm my "appointment" later this week. Seeing my lawyer again tomorrow, in order to ask her (among other things) what questions I should answer honestly and when it would be better to clam up (last time I saw her, I was under the impression she would be in the room with me during the interrogation/whatever, so I need a new game plan).

Apparently the questioning will last between 3 and 6 hours (and will result in a written report, which I was hoping wouldn't be the case since this is all "voluntary", so I have to be super careful about what goes into that), so yeah, definitely sounds like the goal is to wear me down and make me uncomfortable. The police also said I will be able to go home when it's over, and that I "probably" won't have to talk to them again if I tell them everything I know (which would take a grand total of 10 minutes, so I don't know what the hell they expect to gain from pummeling me with questions for 6 hours straight), but I've heard enough horror stories by now not to take anything they say at face value.

[FG Lurker]

It's a tad late now, of course, but still some good tips and insight in there.

[Russell]

ADHWGT, if they told you the interview is 3 to 6 hours, that sounds pretty bad to me.

I have no criminal experience, but here are some useful links:

https://www.nichibenren.or.jp/en/about/ ... notes.html

https://gaijinass.com/2011/01/02/7-brut ... -in-japan/

http://www.debito.org/?p=1437

Yep, last one is from Debito: read at your own risk

To summarize: (1) prepare well, (2) memorize telephone numbers of loved ones and attorney, (3) leave the impression that you have not much money (both to the prosecutor and your attorney), (4) do not have a female attorney, (5) know your rights by studying the links above, (6) stay cool and rational inside, but do not show it.

Good luck!

[Mike Oxlong]

From what I have heard from stories of acquaintances involved in various physical altercations from a minor shouting & shoving match to an all-out brawl, interviews are indeed many hour long marathons from the smallest incidents on up.

[wuchan]

From what I have heard from stories of acquaintances involved in various physical altercations from a minor shouting & shoving match to an all-out brawl, interviews are indeed many hour long marathons from the smallest incidents on up.

When I got caught on a speed cam the initial interview was 5 hours. They asked the same questions as many different ways as they could. I thought it was fucking stupid. Dude was pissed he couldn't get me to make a mistake. The official translator was pretty amused.

[ADHWGT]

To summarize: (1) prepare well, (2) memorize telephone numbers of loved ones and attorney, (3) leave the impression that you have not much money (both to the prosecutor and your attorney), (4) do not have a female attorney, (5) know your rights by studying the links above, (6) stay cool and rational inside, but do not show it.

Good luck!

Thanks! I've contacted another (male, lol) lawyer just in case. I figure a second opinion can't hurt, especially when it comes to what I should admit and which documents I should sign (as you know from the links you posted, a common refrain is "don't sign anything!", but as wagyl noted, the police already have proof of exactly what I ordered and when, so I don't know whether it would benefit me to exercise my right to remain silent instead of offering an explanation – we'll see what the lawyers say).

[FG Lurker]

So..........Still a free man? When's your date with the devil?

[ADHWGT]

So..........Still a free man? When's your date with the devil?

I just got back from my date with three of his minions, so yes, I'm happy to report that I'm still a free man (contrary to the hopes and promises of some "experts" on Reddit).

I think the interview went surprisingly well. Only softball questions, no drug test (!), obviously no arrest – they were even completely fine with me spending the rest of the summer in Sweden. (The second, horrendously expensive, lawyer I spoke to sounded like he was about to have a stroke when I mentioned my vacation, and said I shouldn't go unless I wanted to get arrested when trying to board the plane. He told me my only chance would be to bring the tickets, most importantly the return ticket, to the police station and beg for their understanding. In actuality, it seemed like they couldn't care less; they didn't even ask how long I'd be gone, let alone to inspect my tickets)

After answering their questions as cautiously as possible, I was still really wary about signing the statement (after all, it was a clear confession that I had ordered an illegal substance). I demanded a number of changes and clarifications. Both the police and my lawyer assured me I was not a suspect (apparently there's a different form for that, which they showed me). They also said that N2O is regulated by a different law than cannabis and stimulants; apparently they would need to prove criminal intent in order to convict someone for possession (not that I had it in my possession to begin with, but this bit kind of sounded like something they would say just to get me to sign the statement). They even went so far as to call me a "victim", which didn't exactly have an authentic ring to it.

But, like I said, if they really wanted to bust me they certainly could have tried harder. No questions about prior drug use/party habits, no pressure to "confess" any kind of intent, they even seemed to be in a hurry to get the whole thing over with before lunch. I got the impression that, as wagyl suspected, they're trying to build a case against the distributor rather than his/her customers, hence the classification of my report as something akin to a "witness statement" (or something to that effect) rather than a confession.

One thing that kind of spooked me early on was that they mentioned my girlfriend's name and date of birth. It's not like our relationship is a big secret or anything, but our status isn't even public on Facebook (or anywhere else online), so how did they find out about her? I felt really bad that they officially dragged her name into this mess, even if it turned out to be less of a mess than I feared.

So that's it for now, I guess – the statement will be sent over to the prosecutor, but as I'm not a suspect, they claimed there is absolutely no chance that I will be indicted. Then again, maybe that was just another tactic to get me to sign the damn thing.

ETA: just got an e-mail from my lawyer, she seems to agree that it went well. "I really feel comfortable that there is no urine exam, and that the interview is not conducted as a suspect but just a reference person (sankou-nin)."