The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto warned Taiwanese travelers against participating in “shared luggage space” schemes, as they could be used by drug syndicates to transport illegal substances, resulting in legal consequences.
Taiwanese residing in Canada have been renting out luggage space on Facebook to make extra money while traveling abroad, the office said.
A Facebook group dedicated to luggage sharing, named “Toronto Luggage Space Trade” (多倫多行李空間買賣), was established in 2017 and has more than 1,000 members, with new inquiries posted nearly every day, it said.
Some members ask C$10 (US$7.70) per kilogram of luggage or C$200 for 23kg, it added.
However, the office and the Canada Border Services Agency have warned travelers against sharing luggage space, as they risk unknowingly transporting illegal items, specifically drugs.
Drug syndicates have been enticing travelers with monetary rewards to transport drugs unknowingly, office Director-General Catherine Hsu (徐詠梅) said, citing a warning issued by the agency.
Illegal substances can be easily concealed in secret pockets, between items of clothing, inside candy tins or other containers, Hsu said.
If drugs are found in border checks, the travelers could face severe penalties regardless of whether they were willingly complicit in the crime.
Although Canada has legalized the use of marijuana within its borders, travelers are prohibited from carrying it on international flights, Hsu said.
Transporting Category I narcotics, which include heroin, morphine, opium, cocaine, as well as their derivatives, is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty, according to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), Hsu added.
Those caught transporting Category II narcotics, which include marijuana and amphetamines, face at least seven years to life in prison, she said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it