Publicly released U.S. Navy court records reviewed by The Diplomat show that a drug distribution case aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan may have extended beyond the ship and into off-base spaces in Japan.
The case was first reported in detail by Stars and Stripeswhich said June 26, citing Navy officials, that the investigation resulted in the sanctioning of 58 sailors. Six were court-martialed, 24 were administratively separated and 28 received non-judicial punishment, according to this report.
“The Navy sought accountability at a level appropriate to the offense,” the U.S. Naval Forces Japan Public Affairs Office later told The Diplomat in a statement. “Individuals involved in the distribution of illegal substances were brought before courts-martial…Other sailors whose involvement was limited to personal use were met with non-judicial sanctions and administrative separation. »
The Ronald Reagan was docked at Yokosuka Naval Base, Kanagawa Prefecture, until May 2024. For nearly nine years, it was the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier and a core part of the U.S. 7th Fleet based in Japan.
The investigation began after a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the aircraft carrier died March 13, 2023, after falling from a barracks in Yokosuka. An autopsy found LSD in his system and a search of his cellphone gave the Naval Criminal Investigative Service leads related to drug possession, use and distribution, according to court records. Records do not establish the cause of the fall or whether LSD contributed.
Public court records confirm six courts-martial: Angel Tucker, David Posmao, Allysa Riale, Arthur Reykhman, Brandon DiasAnd Evelyne Aguilar. All six were confined and were reduced to E-1. All except Posmao received punitive releases.
Tucker’s file provided the network’s most detailed account. A damage control firefighter, Tucker received seven mailed shipments of LSD between February 2022 and May 2023, each containing between 350 and 1,000 LSD pills, according to the filing. The drugs were shipped from the United States to Japan via the United States Postal Service.
Tucker took the packages to the off-base home of another Marine and co-conspirator. He then distributed some of the LSD to sailors aboard the Ronald Reagan. He handled a packet of psilocybin mushrooms in the same way.
Tucker pleaded guilty to seven drug offenses, including distribution, export, conspiracy and introduction of controlled substances onto a military vessel. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison and released for bad conduct. His detention was later reduced by six months thanks to his cooperation.
According to court records, the drugs were transported from the United States to Japan by mail, passed through an off-base residence and then reached the sailors aboard the carrier. This route alone raises questions for a warship that operated from Japan with thousands of sailors and air personnel.
The documents also contain references suggesting that investigators and military lawyers questioned whether the network reached people other than U.S. sailors. In a government filing in Tucker’s detention proceedings, U.S. military prosecutors said the United States informed Japanese authorities of an alleged plot to import illicit substances through the postal system and distribute them to “U.S. Navy sailors and residents.”
Another part of Tucker’s dossier referred to alleged distribution of illegal substances “including to Japanese citizens.” Posmao’s filing also said the United States notified the Japanese government of an alleged plot to import illicit substances through the postal system and distribute them to “U.S. Navy sailors and residents.”
Riale’s file contained another reference to possible civil contact. According to these documents, another sailor told the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) that LSD had been distributed to unidentified civilians and a tattoo artist. But the same file also indicated that these civilians were not specifically identified and that there was no indication that investigative measures had established their identities.
These warnings are important. Public records do not prove that Japanese nationals or Yokosuka residents actually received drugs.
Reykhman’s record, in fact, goes in the opposite direction. He admitted to distributing illegal drugs to sailors, but did not admit to distributing drugs to civilians. His filing concluded there was no evidence he sold drugs to Japanese nationals.
Yet the references to “residents,” “unidentified citizens,” and “Japanese citizens” are significant because they show that the matter was not treated solely as an internal matter on board. At a minimum, records indicate the network would have ties to off-base spaces and possibly civilians in Japan.
The roles of the six sailors varied. Tucker and Reykhman were convicted of offenses related to the distribution, export and conspiracy of LSD. Posmao was convicted of offenses including possession, use, distribution, export and conspiracy of LSD. Riale was convicted of distributing LSD and conspiracy. Dias was initially charged with several drug offenses involving LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC, but many were dismissed for speedy trial reasons; he was ultimately convicted of obstructing justice. Aguilar was also convicted of obstruction of justice involving THC.
The Japanese jurisdiction was also part of the case. Tucker’s records indicate that because some alleged conduct involved off-base residence in Japan, possible Japanese prosecution became an issue. Japanese authorities ultimately declined to prosecute, after which Tucker’s status was transferred to U.S. military custody.
In a July 1 response to The Diplomat, U.S. Naval Forces Japan said NCIS had completed its investigation into the drug possession, use and distribution network stemming from the sailor’s death in March 2023. “All personnel identified in this context have been held accountable,” the command said.
U.S. Naval Forces Japan said Ronald Reagan’s leadership revised and strengthened the command’s illegal drug policies after the investigation. This included enhanced training on the dangers of illicit substance use and a renewed emphasis on mental health and addiction support resources.
The response did not specifically specify whether the drugs were reaching off-base civilians or Japanese nationals, nor did it detail the sharing of information with Japanese authorities on this point.
The Ronald Reagan has since moved its home port to Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington. The USS George Washington is now Japan’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier. But the questions raised by the Ronald Reagan affair remain relevant for Japan, where American bases rub shoulders with civilian communities.
The Navy sanctioned the sailors it identified. What remains less clear is whether distribution extended beyond U.S. personnel. For Japanese communities hosting U.S. forces, these questions are at the heart of the transparency and accountability expected when a military justice case can affect society off base.