Taipei police have arrested a Gambian man for allegedly possessing cannabis after a tip-off from his Taiwanese wife, who also provided information that linked him with a Canadian man whose dismembered body was found at a riverside park in August.
The 30-year-old Gambian, identified only as Lamin, and his wife married earlier this year and have been living in Taipei, police said on Monday.
In September, she called police to report domestic abuse and told them that Lamin had cannabis on him, officers said.
Photo: Wang Kuan-jen, Taipei Times
Officers found eight plastic bags of dried marijuana in his backpack and took him to a precinct for questioning, police said.
An investigation is ongoing and he could face charges of contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), police said.
The Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) and other media have reported that the wife also told police that Lamin had bought drugs from Ryan Ramgahan, whose dismembered remains were found near the Sindian River (新店溪) in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和).
Judging by the quantity of cannabis in his possession, investigators suspect that Lamin was engaged in trafficking, which he has denied.
During questioning, Lamin said that a friend gave him the drugs during the “Ultra Taiwan” music festival on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9 in Taipei’s Dajia Riverside Park (大佳河濱公園).
Lamin told police that he only smoked cannabis that one time at the festival and the bags were left over from then.
However, he could not provide any details about his friend or about the source of the cannabis, and investigators suspect that he is hiding information, police said.
The wife told police she had suspected that her husband was engaged in illegal activities, as he did not have a regular job and often stayed out late.
She later found that Lamin had been frequenting nightclubs and interacting with other women, she said, adding that she suspected that he sold illegal drugs to nightclub patrons.
She and Lamin got into an argument after she questioned his whereabouts and activities, she said, adding that she called the police after Lamin struck her.
Police said they are following up on testimony from Lamin and his wife to determine the source of the cannabis and if there were any accomplices.
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