A 26-year-old teacher from Oregon has been jailed in Japan after receiving a bottle of prescribed Adderall pills in the mail for her attention deficit disorder . Carrie Russell has been held at a detention center near Nagoya since February 20 over the pills , the Oregonian reported . Amphetamines - which include Adderall - are illegal in Japan . Russell 's mother , who is a doctor in Portland , originally sent her daughter 's prescription to South Korea which the 26-year-old then forwarded on to Nagoya where she was moving for an English teaching job , according to the newspaper . Carrie Russell has been jailed in Japan after receiving a bottle of Adderall pills in the mail in order to treat her attention deficit disorder . The drug is illegal in Japan . Authorities found Russell 's pills tucked inside a Tylenol bottle , the Oregonian reported . Dr Jill Russell told the newspaper she put the pills in the Tylenol bottle so as not to draw the attention of thieves wanting to sell them . She also said that she acted out of concern for her daughter 's social standing if anybody saw the pills . She said in an affidavit obtained by the newspaper : 'My repackaging was not an attempt to break or circumvent the law . It was intended to preserve Carrie 's privacy and dignity around a sensitive issue regarding medication to treat a disorder which falls under the area of mental health . ' Miss Russell 's family said that she has been in a detention facility near Nagoya , Japan since last month . The 26-year-old was arrested at a Tokyo restaurant where she was dining with friends on February 20 and jailed , the Oregonian reported . Authorities are holding Russell on suspicion of trying to sneak in amphetamine drugs , according to the newspaper . The newspaper noted that a few notices , including a document from the Consulate General of Japan in Seattle , appear online and say not to carry Adderall into the Asian nation . Amphetamines were banned by Japan in the 1950s . The Oregonian also pointed out that there is a mental health stigma in the country . Russell 's family learned about what happened on February 21 - one day after her arrest - according to the newspaper . The family 's attorney in Portland , Loren Podwill - who is Carrie Russell 's stepfather - told the NY Daily News that her family was working with the State Department to find a 'quick and successful resolution ' .
Carrie Russell has been held at a detention center near Tokyo , Japan since February 20 . Miss Russell was sent the pills in the mail by her mother who is a doctor . The 26-year-old was arrested at a Nagoya restaurant where she was dining with friends .