Greater Taichung police yesterday said it arrested seven suspects on suspicion of drug sales and controlling local fruit and vegetable prices.
The police said that the main suspect, Lee Pai-tan (李百潭), 26, was thought to be the chief organizer of a suspected criminal group in Dongshi District (東勢), which they described as consisting of men in their 20s.
In September last year, Lee allegedly forced a man to buy 60g of ketamine, said to be worth about NT$60,000, but Lee demanded a check for NT$320,000, police said, adding that the alleged victim reported the incident to authorities and handed over the suspected drugs.
Police said Lee and his accomplices severely beat two scooter riders in March over a small traffic dispute, adding that the group also was involved in illicit trading of fruits and vegetables at a wholesale market in Dongshi, one of the main areas for farming products in the city.
They allegedly attempted to control prices of farming products through violence and threats against people who did not cooperate with them, police said.
The suspects face charges related to organized crime, drug sales, making threats and assault, among other allegations, police said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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