The Taipei Police Headquarters' Sungshan Precinct (松山分局) yesterday arrested 14 clubgoers for Ecstasy use and tested another 138 for drug use and HIV after they raided The Bund, a small nightclub in the basement of a building next to Taipei's Brother Hotel (兄弟飯店).
According to the precinct, two officers of its regular scooter patrol passed by the club around noon yesterday and noticed a very loud noise emanating from inside. The officers immediately called for back-up and search warrants to raid the premises.
At the scene, police discovered 26 Ecstasy pills, seven bottles of Ketamine Hydrochloride (Special K) and 10 marijuana cigarettes. Of the 152 people at the scene, 14 quickly admitted to police to being Ecstasy users and were arrested. Officers then brought the remaining 138 people, including the club's owner, back to the precinct for urine tests for drugs and blood tests for HIV. Two of the 138 people were younger than 18 years old.
"We have raided this club three times since last weekend," a senior officer at the Sungshan Precinct told the Taipei Times.
"But on only two of those occasions did we discover underage teenagers after midnight, which is against the law. Other than that, we hadn't found anything illegal.
"But we're surprised to have discovered so many Ecstasy users during daylight hours."
In addition to the Sungshan Precinct's daytime raid on the club -- under direct orders from Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) -- Chungshan Precinct (中山分局) officers discovered Ecstasy pills and bottles of Ketamine Hydrochloride at three other nightclubs and karaoke parlors during early-morning raids yesterday.
Officers brought back 70 people for mandatory urine and blood tests and arrested a suspected drug dealer who was allegedly trying to sell Ecstasy pills. Police said that the alleged drug dealer is a teenager.
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