The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) on Friday busted an alleged smuggling ring in the outlying island of Kinmen, where they say officials found shoreline village fishermen were doing a thriving business trafficking high-value goods destined for both Taiwan and China.
It was one of the biggest smuggling operations at sea in recent years, according to CGA officials.
Five suspects were detained and questioned, and the cargo was seized.
Coast guard official Chu Li-pin (曲立斌) said the confiscated cargo is so diverse that “it was almost like they were operating an offshore supermarket.”
The contraband included consumer electronic goods, LCD projectors, personal communication gadgets, automotive parts and accessories for home appliances, along with Taiwanese tea, Kinmen kaoliang, pineapple cakes, goat milk powder and chocolate bars. They also included cosmetics, CDs, children’s books, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medication patches, medical balms and other pharmaceutical items.
Chu said the estimated value of the confiscated goods is more than NT$2 million (US$63,431), but they could be worth more than NT$5 million in China.
He said most of the goods came from Taiwan and were bound for China, but the Chinese boat raided also carried contraband bound for Taiwan.
Three Taiwanese fishermen and two Chinese nationals were detained and are liekly to be charged with violating the Customs Anti-Smuggling Act (海關緝私條例).
Chu said the CGA patrol vessels used radar to close in on the two vessels, which were meeting up near Houtou Islet to transfer the goods.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
Carrefour Taiwan is to begin using a new name from the start of July, but it cannot divulge the name until then, the chairman of the supermarket chain's parent company said today. President Chain Store Co chairman Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先) was asked by reporters after a shareholders' meeting to confirm whether the company has settled on a new name for the supermarket brand. In March, the government-registered name of two Carrefour Taiwan branches was quietly changed to "Le Chia Kang" (樂家康) in Chinese, raising speculation that has been selected as the name. Lo said that because of local regulations and contractual obligations, the
The Philippines would likely be involved in any conflict over Taiwan due to its proximity to the democracy claimed by China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, reiterating a stance that risks angering Beijing. “In the Philippines, we do not have a choice because Taiwan is so close to the Philippines and we have almost 200,000 Filipino nationals living and working in Taiwan,” Marcos said in an interview with Japanese media in Manila on Monday. The Philippine leader’s comments come ahead of a state visit to Japan next week, where he is to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to discuss security
RSS