Between February 2022 and May 2023, a sailor assigned to the USS Ronald Reagan received seven mailed shipments of LSD — each package reportedly containing between 350 and 1,000 tabs — that investigators say moved from the United States through the mail, into an off‑base residence in Japan, and ultimately to sailors aboard the carrier.
How the investigation began and unfolded
The probe into what naval court records describe as a drug possession, use, and distribution network began after a 22‑year‑old sailor assigned to the carrier died on March 13, 2023, after falling from a barracks at Yokosuka. An autopsy found LSD in the sailor’s system, and a search of his cellphone provided leads to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), according to court documents. The records explicitly note they do not establish what caused the fall or whether LSD contributed to it.
NCIS completed its investigation, U.S. Naval Forces Japan told The Diplomat on July 1, and “All personnel identified in connection with this have been held accountable.” The command added that Ronald Reagan leadership reviewed and reinforced command policies on illegal drugs, including enhanced training on the dangers of illicit substance use and renewed emphasis on mental‑health and substance‑abuse support resources.
Mail, an off‑base residence, and shipboard distribution
Public court records provide a clear chain of movement for some of the contraband. According to the most detailed record — the case of damage control fireman Angel Tucker — the LSD was sent from the United States to Japan through the U.S. Postal Service. Tucker received seven mailed shipments between February 2022 and May 2023. He took the packages to an off‑base home belonging to another sailor and co‑conspirator and from there distributed some of the LSD to sailors aboard the Ronald Reagan. Tucker also handled a package of psilocybin mushrooms in a similar way, the record says.
Those details mean the matter was not limited to shipboard possession: the records show movement through off‑base space in Japan, raising questions about reach beyond the carrier’s berthing and workspaces.
Courts‑martial, charges, and outcomes
Public records confirm six courts‑martial stemming from the investigation: Angel Tucker, David Posmao, Allysa Riale, Artur Reykhman, Brandon Dias, and Evelyn Aguilar. All six received confinement and were reduced to E‑1; all but Posmao received punitive discharges.
- Angel Tucker pleaded guilty to seven drug‑related offenses, including distribution, exportation, conspiracy, and introducing controlled substances onto a military vessel. He was sentenced to 15 months’ confinement and a bad‑conduct discharge; his confinement was later reduced by six months because of cooperation.
- David Posmao was convicted of offenses that the records list as including LSD possession, use, distribution, exportation, and conspiracy; he was reduced to E‑1 and received confinement but did not receive a punitive discharge.
- Allysa Riale was convicted of LSD distribution and conspiracy.
- Artur Reykhman admitted distributing illegal drugs to sailors and was convicted; his record concluded there was no evidence he had sold drugs to Japanese nationals.
- Brandon Dias had multiple drug charges involving LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC, but many counts were dismissed over speedy‑trial issues; he was ultimately convicted of obstruction of justice.
- Evelyn Aguilar was convicted of obstruction of justice involving THC.
Japanese jurisdiction and possible civilian links
The court records include references suggesting investigators and military prosecutors considered whether the distribution network reached beyond U.S. sailors. In a government filing in Tucker’s confinement proceedings, U.S. military prosecutors said the United States notified Japanese authorities of an alleged conspiracy to import illicit substances through the postal system and distribute them to “U.S. Navy sailors and residents.” Posmao’s record contained a similar statement about notifying the Japanese government.
Other records referenced possible contact with civilians. Riale’s files say another sailor told NCIS LSD had been distributed to unidentified civilians and a tattoo artist, but the same record noted those civilians were not identified and that there was no indication investigators had established identities. By contrast, Reykhman’s record stated he did not admit distributing drugs to civilians and that there was no evidence he sold drugs to Japanese nationals.
Japanese authorities ultimately declined to prosecute some alleged conduct tied to an off‑base residence, after which Tucker’s status shifted to U.S. military pretrial confinement. The U.S. Naval Forces Japan response to The Diplomat did not specifically address whether drugs reached off‑base civilians or Japanese nationals, nor did it detail information‑sharing with Japanese authorities on that point.
What this means for U.S. Naval Forces Japan, Yokosuka residents, and Japanese authorities
- U.S. Naval Forces Japan: The command has completed NCIS’s investigation, imposed disciplinary action, and said leadership has reinforced drug‑policy training and mental‑health and substance‑abuse support resources aboard the carrier.
- Yokosuka residents and nearby communities: The records’ references to “residents,” “unidentified citizens,” and “Japanese citizens” — even where caveated or unproven — underscore concerns about whether off‑base spaces adjacent to U.S. facilities were implicated and whether host‑community transparency has been satisfied.
- Japanese authorities: The military records show the U.S. government notified Japanese authorities of an alleged conspiracy involving postal importation and distribution; Japanese prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue charges in at least some parts of the case.
The Navy has imposed punishment on the sailors it identified; what remains unsettled in the public record is whether the distribution reached beyond U.S. personnel into Japanese civilian life. For communities that host U.S. forces — and for the governments that must coordinate across jurisdictions — that question goes to how military justice and civilian law enforcement intersect when illicit networks cross bases’ perimeters.
