CGA seizes NT$1.62 billion worth of drugs in largest marijuana bust in a decade
By Yao Yueh-hung and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday at a press conference displayed 815kg of marijuana and other narcotics seized on June 3, marking Taiwan’s largest marijuana bust in a decade.
The drugs had an estimated market value of nearly NT$1.62 billion, according to the CGA.
The CGA said the investigation was led by its Keelung Enforcement Team under the direction of the Keelung District Prosecutors Office, with personnel from various CGA branches and police in New Taipei City and Hsinchu City joining the operation. Investigators closely monitored a suspicious truck with an unusual schedule and deployed teams along the coast of Keelung and in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳), it said.
Security personnel stand guard as marijuana seized in a Coast Guard Administration operation is displayed at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The coast guard said the seized drugs had a market value of about NT$1.618 billion (US$50.9 million).
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
At around midnight on June 3, the task force launched a raid at a parking lot in Rueifang as suspects were transferring items from the truck to a passenger car. Authorities seized 1,309 packages containing 766.09kg of dried marijuana flowers, 43.25kg of amphetamine and 5.34kg of mixed drugs, including ketamine, it said.
CGA personnel arrested three suspects at the scene and later tracked down four others, including the alleged ringleader, surnamed Lee (李), it said.
The cases were referred to prosecutors for investigation on charges of violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), the CGA said. Prosecutors indicted the suspects on Aug. 24, it added.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who attended yesterday’s press conference, said the bust took place on June 3, Taiwan’s Opium Suppression Movement Day, making the seizure particularly significant.
Noting that students across Taiwan were finishing the school year and preparing for summer vacation in June, Cho said the large quantity of drugs could have harmed students’ physical and mental health had the drugs made their way into schools and society.
Cho thanked frontline law enforcement officers for their patience and expertise in carrying out the interagency drug crackdown.
He pledged the government would not only reward their efforts but would also provide stronger support by increasing manpower and upgrading equipment and technology, ensuring that frontline personnel have the resources they need to combat drug trafficking.
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