Two teenagers on Sunday were stopped at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on suspicion of carrying amphetamines, airport police officials said yesterday, adding that drug smugglers are increasingly targeting young people to transport illegal drugs to foreign nations by enticing them with free trips and money.
Two teenagers, a 16-year-old, surnamed Chen (陳), and a 19-year-old, surnamed Hu (胡), were stopped by Taoyuan Airport police when packages of white powder were detected in their check-in luggage during an X-ray scan before boarding a China Airlines flight to New Zealand.
Tests showed the powder is amphetamine, Taoyuan Airport Aviation Police Bureau Deputy Commander Su Mao-chih (蘇茂智) said, adding that Chen was allegedly in possession of 11 pouches weighing a total of 3,393g and Hu allegedly had 11 pouches weighing 3,439g.
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the Aviation Police Bureau
The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office said the two are expected to be charged in accordance with the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
Young people should not be tempted to work as “drug mules,” because it is a very serious crime with harsh penalties, Su said
“The two suspects are high-school students from Taoyuan and Taipei. Both said they accepted offers for a free trip to New Zealand and payment to transport the pouches,” he said.
The two suspects said they did not know each other.
Their alleged contact in the drug ring is a man known as “Little Trumpet” (小喇叭), police said.
Besides a free trip, the two were promised NT$200,000 to make the journey and another NT$80,000 upon their return to Taiwan.
Police said that drug smuggling rings normally use drug users as “mules” with the promise of drugs for personal use and payment, but these people are more easily detected by authorities.
“We are seeing a change in their mode of operation. They are targeting students, workers and homeless people to transport drugs; people who are less likely to be tracked by authorities,” Su said.
“Young people do not have social experience and they are more easily enticed by all-expenses-paid trips to foreign destinations and big payments,” Su added.
He said that most young people have a “clean record,” and that underaged people are sent to the juvenile court system when caught and end up without a criminal record.
The drug rings have been using various social media platforms, online games and chat sites to meet students and lure them with overseas trips and easy money for agreeing to help carry something in their luggage, Su said.
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