Law enforcement agencies last week carried out raids across the nation, confiscating more than 300kg of illegal drugs with an estimated street value of NT$110 million (US$3.4 million), while apprehending 242 people on drugs-related offenses.
Criminal Investigation Bureau officials on Saturday announced the outcome of the raids, saying that of particular concern was the discovery of a new concoction of highly potent narcotic pills, which might also come in powder form, made by mixing ecstasy, amphetamines and other drugs, and sold in instant-coffee sachets.
Bureau officials said the sale of a concoction known as “Black Devil” or “Red Devil,” which is a mixture of various drugs packaged in pill capsules like those used for cold and flu medication, has become more common in recent years.
The drug has a potent effect on users to achieve an intense high, but it can also induce muscle spasms and uncontrollable shaking, and poses a lethal health risk, officials said.
Vice squad units reported that peddlers are creating different types of drug mixtures, branding them with new names and selling them in biscuits or medicine capsules at nightclubs and house parties.
“If a person only ingests ketamine or amphetamines, they know how much they have taken. With the new forms of mixed drugs, people have no idea what drugs and how much they have taken, or how their body would respond, making the possibility of overdosing more likely,” officials said.
National Police Agency Director Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩) called for stricter measures by law enforcement agencies related to illegal drugs after the decapitation of a four-year-old girl in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) on Monday last week, with the suspect, Wang Ching-yu (王景玉), having reportedly consumed narcotics in the past.
Chen called for police units at all local levels to step up patrols and conduct checks at residences where known drug users are living.
A total lunar eclipse coinciding with the Lantern Festival on March 3 would be Taiwan’s most notable celestial event this year, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said, urging skywatchers not to miss it. There would be four eclipses worldwide this year — two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses — the museum’s Web site says. Taiwan would be able to observe one of the lunar eclipses in its entirety on March 3. The eclipse would be visible as the moon rises at 5:50pm, already partly shaded by the Earth’s shadow, the museum said. It would peak at about 7:30pm, when the moon would
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
DEFENSE: The US should cancel the US visas or green cards of relatives of KMT and TPP lawmakers who have been blocking the budget, Grant Newsham said A retired US Marine Corps officer has suggested canceling the US green cards and visas of relatives of opposition Taiwanese lawmakers who have been stalling the review of a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget. The Executive Yuan has proposed the budget for major weapons purchases over eight years, from this year to 2033. However, opposition lawmakers have refused to review the proposal, demanding that President William Lai (賴清德) first appear before the Legislative Yuan to answer questions about the proposed budget. On Thursday last week, 37 bipartisan US lawmakers sent a letter to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the heads
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
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