Actor Chin Yang (金陽), reportedly the boyfriend of actress Kuo Shu-yao (郭書瑤), was arrested in Taipei on Wednesday for driving under the influence of marijuana and has been charged with violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Police said Chin was initially pulled over for driving erratically, but after noticing a peculiar odor inside his vehicle, they executed a search and found a bag containing cannabis.
A police officer quoted Chin as saying that he had lived abroad for many years and had no idea that smoking marijuana is a criminal offense in Taiwan.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
During questioning by the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, Chin said he purchased the cannabis from a foreigner who was selling the drug as they were entertaining and drinking with friends at a Taipei nightclub.
He was released under his own recognizance by prosecutors on Wednesday afternoon, under condition of restricted movement; he is not allowed to leave the nation.
It was the second celebrity- related cannabis bust to have taken place in the past few days.
Earlier this week, news anchor Lulu Hsia (夏嘉璐) became embroiled in a controversy when her younger brother, Hsia Chia-en (夏加恩), was arrested for allegedly mailing a package containing 25g of cannabis from Australia to Taiwan.
Police initially thought the news anchor was personally involved, because her brother had written “Lulu Hsia” as the recipient of the package.
Taipei Customs officers intercepted the package after sniffer dogs alerted them to the presence of drugs during a routine check, according to reports from local media.
Police officers with search warrants entered Hsia Chia-en’s New Taipei City residence on Tuesday, where they found 8g of cannabis, grinding tools, pipes and various devices for smoking marijuana.
Charged with illegal possession of drugs, Hsia was taken for questioning to the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office and was released after posting bail of NT$40,000 (US$1,217) on Tuesday afternoon.
He also told police that he did not know possession and consumption of marijuana is illegal in Taiwan.
Marijuana is classified as a “Category Two” narcotic drug, along with mescaline, coca leaf, opium and amphetamines, and offenders can be sentenced to a prison term ranging from seven years to life, and subjected to a fine of up to NT$10 million.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS