Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) officials yesterday announced that they had detained six people allegedly dealing in illegal firearms, following a stakeout at a motel in Yunlin County on Wednesday.
The group, which is suspected of smuggling and selling modified firearms, is allegedly headed by Yu Chien-kai (尤建凱), 38, who retired after serving in the Republic of China Marine Corps, where he specialized in maintaining and repairing handheld weapons, officials said.
As of press time last night, Yu and the five other suspects remained in police custody, said Hsieh Yu-pi (謝有筆), from the bureau’s Sixth Investigation Corps.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Taipei Times
Records showed that Yu had been involved in criminal gangs, had prior convictions for violence and possession of illegal firearms, and in 2010 became a member of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party (CUPP), a pro-China extremist group founded by Chang An-le (張安樂), a former gangster known as the “White Wolf” (白狼).
“We received reports that Yu and his gang members, based around Yunlin’s Huwei Township (虎尾), were looking to sell firearms they had made in their underground factory. The word was out that Yu needed money to pay for his legal expenses after filing an appeal for his five-year-plus sentence in 2017 for firearms possession,” Hsieh said.
Bureau officials said that Yu had arranged to meet a prospective buyer at the motel.
After raiding the motel, police also detained a man surnamed Hsu (許), 27, believed to be the buyer; a man surnamed Wang (王), 25, allegedly a middleman; and three other men in their late 20s, believed to be Yu’s and Hsu’s bodyguards.
Police seized two modified JP915 9mm Taurus handguns, allegedly made in Yu’s underground factory, 12 bullets, eight mobile phones and an unspecified amount of cash during the raid, Hsieh said.
Yu was allegedly planning to sell the handguns for NT$100,000 each.
Bureau investigations found that “Yu had worked with the CUPP to threaten and assault people at political protests and rallies,” Hsieh said.
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