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CKS `mystery man' bolts from customs and police

The Chinese-language sister newspaper of the Taipei Times, the Liberty Times, reported yesterday that customs officials at CKS International Airport allowed a man suspected of drug-running to run through customs without having his baggage checked.

The report said that around noon on Feb. 5, customs officials had prepared stricter controls for travelers on an inbound flight from Thailand as they had received a tip-off that passengers on the plane may be carrying drugs.

Customs officials were reported as saying that while checking the luggage of passengers, a nervous-looking, slightly plump man in his 40s wearing a black suit and tie walked through the control area with his luggage behind the visitor whose luggage was being checked.

When a customs official called on him to stop, he instead sped up and told the official that he was "in a hurry."

The official then instructed police at the customs exit to apprehend the man, the report said.

Upon hearing this, the man slowed down, but when a police officer told him that he was not to go anywhere, the man ran out of the terminal and disappeared.

The police reportedly radioed patroling police officers for help, but the man was nowhere to be found.

The police officer in question has reportedly been ordered to submit an official report and could be punished for serious dereliction of duty. The newspaper also said that the director of the Aviation Police may be subject to disciplinary measures.

The Aviation Police Office stated that the police officer followed the regulations pertaining to officers stationed outside the control area, but added that the regulations have now been changed, the report said.

Customs officials were quoted as saying that the man had already gone through passport control, but by avoiding a baggage check he was guilty of interfering with public functions, a crime that carries up to three years in prison.

The report went on to say that the man had also violated the Customs Smuggling Control Act under which customs officials can confiscate controlled items, and if tax is evaded, impose a fine

Since the man's whereabouts are unknown, it is impossible to know what he brought in to the country and whether he should pay taxes or fines.
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