After almost three months in custody after being caught trying to bring liquid marijuana and drug paraphernalia into Japan, Matt Sydal (formerly Evan Bourne in WWE) has tweeted that he is back at home in the United States:
Back from Japan – 'Let's meet in the USA' #freesydal pic.twitter.com/Y1LUVhpWVB
— Matt Sydal (@MattSydal) December 12, 2016
Sydal spoke to our friend Ryan Satin at Pro Wrestling Sheet, telling him that “It’s all finished. I received probation, which applies only if I’m in Japan. So no actual punishment. I was just held until they had the trial. I wasn’t ever in jail either, only police detention centers and the Osaka immigration detention center.” He added that “I’m no longer with NJPW. I still love the Japanese people, but I won’t be working there in the near future.”
Before news of what actually happened broke, someone with access to Sydal’s Twitter account tweeted that he had “passport trouble” and ended up getting stuck in Hawaii. The tweets have since been deleted. While sneaking drugs in through customs is risky anywhere, Japan is known to have an especially rough stance on marijuana.
