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.
China has reserved offshore airspace in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea from March 27 to May 6, issuing alerts usually used to warn of military exercises, although no such exercises have been announced, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported yesterday. Reserving such a large area for 40 days without explanation is an “unusual step,” as military exercises normally only last a few days, the paper said. These alerts, known as Notice to Air Missions (Notams), “are intended to inform pilots and aviation authorities of temporary airspace hazards or restrictions,” the article said. The airspace reserved in the alert is
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
More than 6,000 Taiwanese students have participated in exchange programs in China over the past two years, despite the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) “orange light” travel advisory, government records showed. The MAC’s publicly available registry showed that Taiwanese college and university students who went on exchange programs across the Strait numbered 3,592 and 2,966 people respectively. The National Immigration Agency data revealed that 2,296 and 2,551 Chinese students visited Taiwan for study in the same two years. A review of the Web sites of publicly-run universities and colleges showed that Taiwanese higher education institutions continued to recruit students for Chinese educational programs without
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
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