Kaohsiung, March 24 (CNA) Kaohsiung prosecutors have indicted three people, including a crew member of a freighter ship, on suspicion of smuggling marijuana into Taiwan.
The suspects, identified by their last names Tsai (蔡), Liu (劉) and Lai (賴), were indicted for suspected violations of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, the Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office said in a news release on Monday.
According to the office, it received a tip-off about the scheme toward the end of last year, prompting authorities to set up a special task force to surveil the three individuals.
Around mid-December 2024, the three planned to have Tsai travel to Thailand to source the marijuana, while Lai took care of shipping the drugs, as he worked on a freighter, prosecutors said.
Meanwhile, Liu handled communications with the Thai supplier and was also in charge of selling the marijuana after it entered the country.
In early January this year, Tsai arrived at Laem Chabang Port in Thailand with 27 bags of marijuana as well as other items, including cannabis cigarettes, for Lai to transport, prosecutors said.
When the ship docked at the Port of Kaohsiung on Jan. 10, Tsai went to pick up the merchandise from Lai, after which he met up with Liu in a local parking lot to unload eight bags of marijuana weighing 1.265 kilograms inside a vehicle, they said.
From there, Tsai took the remainder in his backpack with the intention of traveling to Chiayi. However, he was arrested that day at the Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Zuoying Station carrying 2.173 kilograms of marijuana and other illicit items such cannabis cigarettes.
Liu and Lai were both subsequently arrested for their alleged involvement.
Prosecutors said the seized marijuana has a street value of around NT$6 million (US$181,654).
All three suspects have since been detained following a court order.
In Taiwan, marijuana is classified as a category 2 narcotic, the production, transport or sale of which is punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of up to NT$15 million.
Kaohsiung prosecutors have indicted three people, including a crew member of a freighter ship, on suspicion of smuggling marijuana into Taiwan. Read More
