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Teenaged girl arrested at airport for smuggling heroin

Customs officials on Saturday arrested a 14-year old Taiwanese girl at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on suspicion of smuggling heroin.

A sniffer dog drew customs officials' attention to the girl, who had arrived on a flight from China. After inspection, they discovered 898g of heroin hidden in her underpants.

The Taipei Customs Office said in a press statement that the girl, surnamed Liao, told police she lived with her father in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.

Her father runs a clothes shop in the city but business was not good, the girl told officials.

She said that her father had been suffering from an eye disease and she had agreed to transport some items back to Taiwan for a man surnamed Hung. The girl said Hung gave her father 25,000 Macau patacas (US$3,100) to transport the goods to Taiwan.

She said she simply wanted to help her father. She did not know that the substance was drugs and she was unaware that what she was doing was against the law.

Customs officials suspected that criminals were on the same flight to monitor her and said they were going through the passenger manifest.

The Taipei Customs Office began using four sniffer dogs last year to help it crack down on drug smuggling, and Saturday's case marked the first time a dog had made a discovery.

Officials said the dog, named "Jock," closed in on the girl and began sniffing her as she passed customs.

Investigators will ask Chinese authorities to arrest Hung and Liao's father, the customs office said.

Heroin smuggling is punishable by death or life imprisonment.

But as the girl is under 18 years of age, she could have her sentence commuted.
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