The Taipei Police Headquarters' Sungshan Precinct (松山分局) yesterday arrested 14 clubgoers for Ecstasy use and tested another 138 for drug use and HIV after they raided The Bund, a small nightclub in the basement of a building next to Taipei's Brother Hotel (兄弟飯店).
According to the precinct, two officers of its regular scooter patrol passed by the club around noon yesterday and noticed a very loud noise emanating from inside. The officers immediately called for back-up and search warrants to raid the premises.
At the scene, police discovered 26 Ecstasy pills, seven bottles of Ketamine Hydrochloride (Special K) and 10 marijuana cigarettes. Of the 152 people at the scene, 14 quickly admitted to police to being Ecstasy users and were arrested. Officers then brought the remaining 138 people, including the club's owner, back to the precinct for urine tests for drugs and blood tests for HIV. Two of the 138 people were younger than 18 years old.
"We have raided this club three times since last weekend," a senior officer at the Sungshan Precinct told the Taipei Times.
"But on only two of those occasions did we discover underage teenagers after midnight, which is against the law. Other than that, we hadn't found anything illegal.
"But we're surprised to have discovered so many Ecstasy users during daylight hours."
In addition to the Sungshan Precinct's daytime raid on the club -- under direct orders from Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) -- Chungshan Precinct (中山分局) officers discovered Ecstasy pills and bottles of Ketamine Hydrochloride at three other nightclubs and karaoke parlors during early-morning raids yesterday.
Officers brought back 70 people for mandatory urine and blood tests and arrested a suspected drug dealer who was allegedly trying to sell Ecstasy pills. Police said that the alleged drug dealer is a teenager.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS