The National Police Administration (NPA) carried out a nationwide raid looking for Ecstasy an other drugs at night clubs, bars and KTVs in the early hours yesterday.
Police discovered 354 Ecstasy pills, carried out urine tests on 563 people and arrested 480 who tested positive.
"Tips to police indicate that there are more and more Ecstasy users in Taiwan. We have to do something about it," Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) said.
"Our weekend raids in Taipei City and Kaohsiung City are just the beginning. We'll keep going as we've made this crackdown a national campaign. My advice to drug users is -- beware, we're after you."
The minister, accompanied by NPA Director-General Wang Chin-wang (王進旺), arrived at the Taipei City Police Headquarters' Sungshan Precinct at around midnight yesterday for a briefing.
The two, along with a group of police officers, then went to the 911 dance club on the 12th floor of the Core Pacific Mall to raid the club for Ecstasy users.
Police have made 911 and the Plush dance club the main focus of their raids because they have discovered a history of drug use at the two night spots.
Yesterday's operation was the first nationwide raid as part of the police's "War on Ecstasy."
According to NPA statistics, from 1am to 5am yesterday, 6,263 police officers from various police stations and precincts were on duty to raid locations where Ecstasy use was suspected. District court judges approved 314 search warrants for the raids. Officers raided 2,558 locations
Other than the 354 Ecstasy pills, officers discovered 792.7 grams of a various drugs.
The crackdown against Ecstasy use stemmed from a direct order from the NPA's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB).
"There won't be any holiday for our crackdown action," a senior CIB officer said.
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