CASE CRACKED: Glico-Morinaga
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(The news articles text can be seen below the images of it.)
February 13th 1985
The Daily News
HEADLINE: JAPANESE GANG POISONS VALENTINE CANDY
TOKYO (UPI) - "The Man with 21 Faces" threatened to scatter cyanide-laced treats across Japan amid a Valentine's Day candy-buying spree. Six packages marked "you'll die if you eat this" were found in two cities.
The gang, which has terrorized the nation for nearly a year and eluded capture despite the largest police dragnet in modern Japanese history, made its warning In a letter to the Mainichi newspaper today.
The threat came as police said six candy packets with labels marked "you'll die if you eat this" and signed by the The Man with 21 Faces" had been found in two cities. At least three were poisoned with cyanide, police said.
The discovery came just before Valentine's Day, a Western import heavily promoted by retailers who expect some $150 million in candy sales in the first half of February, according to industry officials.
Valentine's Day in Japan has acquired a unique twist, with women customarily buying candy for their male sweethearts, husbands, and bosses.
In its latest caper, the gang added two more victims to its roster, poisoning products of the well-known Meiji and Lotte brands, but it was not immediately known if the group was attempting to extort money from the firms.
The gang, which takes its name from a popular 1960s television detective series, has demanded payoffs from leading candy manufacturers, who have lost millions of dollars in sales as consumers shun their products.
Police said two packages were found late Tuesday in a bathroom of a busy subway station in Tokyo, one at a post office and another in a restaurant in the capital.
Two others were found late Tuesday and today in Nagoya. Japan's third-largest city, about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo, Police said.
The gang first surfaced last March when it kidnapped the president of the candy firm, Ezaki Glico Co., and demanded some $416,000 and 220 pounds of gold. The executive escaped unharmed and no ransom was believed paid.
In October, the gang turned to the Morinaga candy company, and scattered marked cyanide-laced Morinaga products in stores mostly in the Osaka area, 3000 miles southwest of Tokyo.
No money was paid, but Morinaga products were swept off store shelves throughout Japan. The firm had laid off nearly 500 workers and recently its president. Akio Matsuzaki, estimated company losses at $120,000 a day.
The gang's activities have been a major embarrassment to police.
At the height of the search last fall, some 44,000 police, about one-fifth of Japan's force, were mobilized, and officers visited about 3.2 million homes and offices in the Osaka area to ask for the public’s help.
Valentine's Day in Japan has acquired a unique twist, with women customarily buying candy for their male sweethearts, husbands, and bosses.
In its latest caper, the gang added two more victims to its roster, poisoning products of the well-known Meiji and Lotte brands, but it was not immediately known if the group was attempting to extort money from the firms.
The gang, which takes its name from a popular 1960s television detective series, has demanded payoffs from leading candy manufacturers, who have lost millions of dollars in sales as consumers shun their products.
Police said two packages were found late Tuesday in a bathroom of a busy subway station in Tokyo, one at a post office and another in a restaurant in the capital.
Two others were found late Tuesday and today in Nagoya. Japan's third-largest city, about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo, Police said.
The gang first surfaced last March when it kidnapped the president of the candy firm, Ezaki Glico Co., and demanded some $416,000 and 220 pounds of gold. The executive escaped unharmed and no ransom was believed paid.
In October, the gang turned to the Morinaga candy company, and scattered marked cyanide-laced Morinaga products in stores mostly in the Osaka area, 3000 miles southwest of Tokyo.
No money was paid, but Morinaga products were swept off store shelves throughout Japan. The firm had laid off nearly 500 workers and recently its president. Akio Matsuzaki, estimated company losses at $120,000 a day.
The gang's activities have been a major embarrassment to police.
At the height of the search last fall, some 44,000 police, about one-fifth of Japan's force, were mobilized, and officers visited about 3.2 million homes and offices in the Osaka area to ask for the public’s help.
In its latest caper, the gang added two more victims to its roster, poisoning products of the well-known Meiji and Lotte brands, but it was not immediately known if the group was attempting to extort money from the firms.
The gang, which takes its name from a popular 1960s television detective series, has demanded payoffs from leading candy manufacturers, who have lost millions of dollars in sales as consumers shun their products.
Police said two packages were found late Tuesday in a bathroom of a busy subway station in Tokyo, one at a post office and another in a restaurant in the capital.
Two others were found late Tuesday and today in Nagoya. Japan's third-largest city, about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo, Police said.
The gang first surfaced last March when it kidnapped the president of the candy firm, Ezaki Glico Co., and demanded some $416,000 and 220 pounds of gold. The executive escaped unharmed and no ransom was believed paid.
In October, the gang turned to the Morinaga candy company, and scattered marked cyanide-laced Morinaga products in stores mostly in the Osaka area, 3000 miles southwest of Tokyo.
No money was paid, but Morinaga products were swept off store shelves throughout Japan. The firm had laid off nearly 500 workers and recently its president. Akio Matsuzaki, estimated company losses at $120,000 a day.
The gang's activities have been a major embarrassment to police.
At the height of the search last fall, some 44,000 police, about one-fifth of Japan's force, were mobilized, and officers visited about 3.2 million homes and offices in the Osaka area to ask for the public’s help.
The Monster with 21 Faces (かい人21面相, Kaijin Nijūichi Mensō) was a criminal group who terrorized Japan from March 1984 to August 1985 and well beyond.
They committed many crimes including Attempted Murder, Kidnapping for Ransom, Burglary Injury, Non-Residential Building Arson, Attempted Extortion and many Postal Law Violations.
They were never caught.
The information gathered is presented in an 8 episode podcast on all major podcast platforms and at www.TheMonsterWith21Faces.com as well as the website www.DarqArt.com.
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