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.
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