Prosecutors are warning the public to exercise caution when making online purchases, after a man who bought an aphrodisiac from a Web site in Hong Kong narrowly avoided drug-related charges.
A 33-year-old Miaoli man surnamed Lin (林) purchased an aphrodisiac online, reportedly unaware that it contained trace amounts of a Class 2 narcotic commonly used in date-rape drugs.
The Investigation Bureau was alerted after customs officials inspected the package and became suspicious because it had an unregistered seller, prosecutors said.
The bureau found that the product contained 3.23mg of the psychoactive drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and forwarded the case to the Miaoli District Prosecutors’ Office, which questioned Lin on suspicion of importing a controlled substance.
Lin admitted to buying the aphrodisiac, but denied knowledge of it containing a narcotic substance, saying that he had only hoped to improve his love life with his wife.
He bought the product after talking to his wife about it, prosecutors quoted him as saying.
Prosecutors last week dropped the charges against Lin, saying that as he had only purchased one bottle, there was no intent to sell and distribute the product.
There were only trace amounts of GHB in the bottle, they added.
Lin provided his own name, address and contact information for the waybill, making no attempt to hide his identity, prosecutors said.
Had Lin purchased numerous bottles, he might have faced up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to NT$10 million (US$324,349), they said.
The Web site from which Lin purchased the aphrodisiac sold other products that would also be illegal in Taiwan, as they contained Flunitrazepam, a Class 3 controlled substance commonly known as Rohypnol, prosecutors said.
The drug can be used to treat severe insomnia, but it is also used as a date-rape drug, they said, adding that its purchase is illegal.
The quantity is a big factor in determining intent in drug-related cases, Miaoli District Prosecutors’ Office Head Prosecutor Chen Tsung-hao (陳宗豪) said, but added that there is no preset maximum and that prosecutors evaluate each case when deciding whether to proceed with an indictment.
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