Four Thai residents are under investigation for possession of an illicit substance, after a banned appetite suppressant was discovered in diet pills they had shipped from Thailand.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau Fourth Investigation Corp last month received notice from Taichung Customs that it had discovered sibutramine in diet pills from Thailand under the brands Honey Q and Fercy.
The division and Changhua County police tracked down the four recipients of the shipments in Taichung and Changhua, and seized 1.86kg of pills between them.
Photo courtesy of Changhua County police
While they did not know each other, all four said they had a friend send them the pills, as they are not sold in Taiwan, investigators said.
They also all claimed to be unaware of committing a crime, as the products are legal in Thailand, they said.
Investigators still transferred the cases to the Taichung and Chunghua prosecutors' offices for investigation, they added.
Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant that was included in a number of weight loss products from its development in 1988 until 2010, when it was discontinued in most countries over its association with cardiovascular issues and stroke.
Taiwan on Sept. 2, 2021, declared sibutramine a Schedule 4 controlled substance, warning that it can cause a rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, arrhythmia and cardiac arrest.
Under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), those who manufacture, transport or sell Schedule 4 narcotics are subject to five to 12 years in prison and a fine of up to NT$5 million (US$162,155).
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