Naha District Court in Naha city, Okinawa, is pictured Oct. 25, 2024. (Keishi Koja/Stars and Stripes)

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Japanese court handed a suspended sentence to a U.S. Marine convicted of bringing a synthetic drug onto Okinawa through the mail.

Lance Cpl. Gianmarco Benitez Perez, 22, of Camp Hansen, was sentenced Friday to two years and six months in prison by a three-judge panel, a spokeswoman for Naha District Court said by phone Monday.

The sentence will be suspended for four years, she said. Benitez Perez will not serve time in a Japanese prison provided he commits no further offenses.

A spokesman for the 3rd Marine Logistics Group declined to identify Benitez Perez’s unit or whether he will face further disciplinary action from the military.

“The Marine Corps has a strict zero tolerance policy when it comes to illegal or illicit drugs and takes these charges seriously,” Capt. Brett Vannier said by email Monday. “We will continue to abide by the [status of forces agreement] and work with our Japanese partners to address this and any future incidents covered in the SOFA.”

The status of forces agreement between the U.S. and Japan lays out legal consequences for the U.S. military population, along with its rights and responsibilities.

The case’s details were not made public before the trial and sentencing, a spokesman for the Okinawa Prefectural Police said by phone Monday. A spokesman for the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office reached by phone Monday referred questions to the court.

Some Japanese government officials may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

Benitez Perez ordered 1.2 ounces of the drug, known as MDMB, on the internet, according to a report Saturday by the Okinawa Times. The package containing the drugs was intercepted by Okinawa Regional Customs in April, the report said.

Prosecutors requested the two-year, six-month sentence, the report said.

MDMB is a synthetic cannabinoid, a substance made in a laboratory that mimics the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

MDMB and other designer drugs were introduced in Europe before turning up in 2008 in the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The DEA moved in 2023 to classify MDMB and five other similar substances as Schedule 1 drugs under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule 1 drugs, such as LSD, heroin and marijuana, are considered by the federal government to have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.

Suspended sentences for U.S. service members and Defense Department civilian employees for importing drugs onto Okinawa via mail are not uncommon.

A Marine convicted in December of importing LSD received a suspended, 18-month sentence; an airman, his wife and his mother received suspended sentences ranging from 1½ to two years in January for sending vape pens with cannabis liquid into the country.