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Masashi Tashiro is pictured being transferred to detention by Kanagawa Prefectural Police on Sept. 16 in Naka Ward, Yokohama. (Mainichi)

YOKOHAMA -- Drug scandal-plagued celebrity Masashi Tashiro, 54, was arrested on Sept. 16 for possession of cocaine.

Authorities say that at around 2:10 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 16, Tashiro was found in possession of two plastic bags of cocaine while in a parked car in a lot in Naka Ward, Yokohama, near the city's famous red-brick warehouses. Security has been heightened in the area ahead of the November APEC summit, to be held in Yokohama. An officer who is part of the enhanced security questioned Tashiro and discovered the cocaine. The bags were in a case being worn between Tashiro's belt and pants.

A 50-year-old woman, Chieko Arai, was also in the car and was arrested for being in possession of a plastic bag of illegal stimulants.

According to police, Tashiro has told them, "I bought the cocaine from a DJ I met about three months ago." Arai, meanwhile, has reportedly said, "I gave Tashiro the cocaine."

Tashiro has a history of scandals including drug use. He was found guilty of being in possession of illegal stimulants in February 2002 and given a suspended sentence. He was again arrested for possession of stimulants in September 2004 and in March 2005 was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. After serving his sentence, he released a book about his crimes in 2009 titled "Shinpan" (Judgment), published by Tsukuru Publishing. In an interview by the Mainichi Shimbun in the past, Tashiro said he wanted to "vow to never touch drugs again."