Police yesterday conducted a sweep of the W Hotel in Taipei, searching for drugs and other illegal activities, while an investigation continued into the death of a 21-year-old woman last week following an alleged drug-and-alcohol-fueled sex party in a VIP suite.
The sweep was conducted from Friday night until early yesterday morning by units from the Xinyi District (信義) Police Precinct, which has jurisdiction over the numerous nightclubs, luxury hotels and upscale department stores in the area adjacent to Taipei City Hall.
Police began the unannounced operation at Woobar, a lounge bar on the hotel’s 10th floor, to the surprise of patrons, who had just begun to drink and enjoy the venue’s entertainment to start the weekend.
People in the bar were asked to present their identification, with police executing a cursory examination of the venue for recreational drugs and other illicit substances, in a bid to catch drug dealers and prevent any criminal activity.
The operation was intended to ensure public safety and crack down on the use of illegal drugs, Xinyi Precinct Deputy Chief Tu Kuo-ching (涂國卿) said, adding that additional sweeps of nightclubs and hotels in the area could follow, as many establishments in the area are organizing holiday events to drum up business.
Earlier on Friday, Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office officials and a forensics team went to the hotel to gather more evidence and question people regarding last week’s death of the young woman, surnamed Kuo (郭), who allegedly attended a party hosted by 26-year-old Chu Chia-lung (朱家龍), a scion of a wealthy Taipei family.
An autopsy indicated that Kuo died of a drug overdose, while there was also evidence that she was sexually assaulted by several men at the party.
Despite Chu’s repeated denials of involvement in Kuo’s death, she was reportedly covered by Chu’s extra-large underwear when she was carried out of the hotel unconscious and rushed to a local hospital.
Prosecutors also set up a provisional investigation room at the hotel, which they are using to question staff who entered the suite and might have witnessed events that transpired within during and after the party.
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