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 Stripes, which said on June 26, citing Navy officials, that the investigation led to the punishment for 58 sailors. Six were court-martialed, 24 were administratively separated, and 28 received nonjudicial punishment, according to that report.
“The Navy pursued accountability at a level appropriate to the offense,” the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Naval Forces Japan later told The Diplomat in a statement. “Individuals found to be involved in the distribution of illegal substances were referred to courts-martials… Other Sailors whose involvement was limited to personal use were addressed through non-judicial punishment and administrative separation.”
The Ronald Reagan was homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base in Kanagawa Prefecture until May 2024. For nearly nine years, it served as the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier and a core element of the Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet.
The investigation 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 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. The records do not establish what caused the fall or whether LSD contributed to it.
Public court records confirm six courts-martial: 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.
Tucker’s record provided the most detailed account of the network. A damage control fireman, Tucker received seven mailed shipments of LSD between February 2022 and May 2023, each containing between 350 and 1,000 LSD tabs, according to the record. The drugs were sent from the United States to Japan through the U.S. Postal Service.
Tucker took the packages to the off-base home of another sailor and co-conspirator. He then distributed some of the LSD to sailors aboard the Ronald Reagan. He handled a package of psilocybin mushrooms in a similar manner.
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 his cooperation.
Based on the court records, drugs moved from the United States to Japan through the mail, passed through an off-base residence, and then reached sailors aboard the carrier. That route alone raises questions for a warship that operated from Japan with thousands of sailors and air wing personnel.
The records also contain references that suggest investigators and military lawyers considered whether the network reached people beyond U.S. sailors. In a government filing in Tucker’s confinement proceedings, U.S. military prosecutors said the United States had 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.”
Another portion of Tucker’s record referred to suspected distribution of illegal substances “including to Japanese citizens.” Posmao’s record similarly stated that the United States notified the Japanese government of an alleged conspiracy to import illicit substances through the postal system and distribute them to “U.S. Navy sailors and residents.”
Riale’s record contained another reference to possible civilian contact. According to those 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 record also noted that those civilians were not specifically identified and that there was no indication investigative steps had established their identities.
Those caveats matter. The public records do not prove that Japanese nationals or Yokosuka residents actually received drugs.
Reykhman’s record, in fact, cut in the opposite direction. He admitted distributing illegal drugs to sailors but did not admit distributing drugs to civilians. His record concluded that there was no evidence he had sold drugs to Japanese nationals.
Still, the references to “residents,” “unidentified citizens,” and “Japanese citizens” are significant because they show that the case was not treated only as an internal shipboard matter. At a minimum, the records indicate concern that the network had links to off-base spaces and possibly to civilians in Japan.
The six sailors’ roles varied. Tucker and Reykhman were convicted of offenses involving LSD distribution, exportation, and conspiracy. Posmao was convicted of offenses including LSD possession, use, distribution, exportation, and conspiracy. Riale was convicted of LSD distribution and conspiracy. Dias was initially charged with multiple drug offenses involving LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and THC, but many were dismissed over speedy-trial issues; he was ultimately convicted of obstruction of justice. Aguilar was also convicted of obstruction of justice involving THC.
Japanese jurisdiction was also part of the record. Tucker’s filings indicate that because some alleged conduct involved an off-base residence in Japan, possible Japanese prosecution became an issue. Japanese authorities ultimately declined to prosecute, after which Tucker’s status shifted to U.S. military pretrial confinement.
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 March 2023 death of the sailor. “All personnel identified in connection with this have been held accountable,” the command said.
U.S. Naval Forces Japan said Ronald Reagan leadership reviewed and reinforced command policies on illegal drugs after the investigation. That included enhanced training on the dangers of illicit substance use and renewed emphasis on mental health and substance abuse support resources.
The response 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.
The Ronald Reagan has since shifted its homeport to Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington. USS George Washington is now the forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Japan. But the questions raised by the Ronald Reagan case remain relevant for Japan, where U.S. bases sit next to civilian communities.
The Navy has punished the sailors it identified. What remains less clear is whether the distribution reached beyond U.S. personnel. For Japanese communities hosting U.S. forces, those questions are central to the transparency and accountability expected when a military justice case may intersect with the society outside the base.
