Cooperation between Taiwanese and Japanese police has shut down a chemical factory in Japan allegedly producing amphetamine and led to the arrest of 10 people, including suspected members of Japanese organized crime groups.
The main figure in the case is Tsang Tien-pao (臧天寶), 61, who has Japanese-Taiwanese parentage, and is allegedly a member of the Inagawa-kai, the third-largest yakuza group in Japan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Thursday last week.
Born in Kanagawa, Tsang joined the Inagawa-kai during his youth, the CIB added.
Photo: Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times
Background checks showed that Tsang spent four years in prison for running over and killing a pedestrian in 1998, and lost his Japanese residency. After his release, Tsang has mainly lived in Taiwan.
Tsang reportedly led the collaboration between Japanese and Taiwanese gangs, and he allegedly sent two chemists to Japan, surnamed Wu (吳) and Chen (陳), who have experience in manufacturing narcotics, to produce amphetamines, CIB investigators said.
Last year, Tsang linked up with a person surnamed Yamanouchi, who was a member of the Sumiyoshi-kai, Japan’s second-largest criminal gang, the investigators said.
Tsang and Yamanouchi allegedly led the Taiwanese chemists to set up a small factory in mountains near Matsuyama on Shikoku Island. They produced 2kg of amphetamine, and sold it via underground channels, with the proceeds split with the Sumiyoshi-kai, investigators said.
After receiving tip-offs, the CIB put Tsang and others under surveillance. As Wu took a trip to Shikoku in May, the bureau’s international division notified Japanese authorities.
A raid was carried out and 103g of amphetamines was seized, along with 60kg of ingredients, and Japanese authorities arrested Wu, Yamanouchi and their alleged accomplices. The CIB apprehended Tsang and Chen in June, and found material, including communications records at Tsang’s residence, the investigators said.
Japanese authorities conducted raids in July and apprehended five people suspected to be gang members, taking the arrests to 10, the investigators said.
The crime is subject to severe punishment under Japan’s anti-drug laws, therefore there has been an increase in its price in the underground market, it said.
In Japan, 1g of amphetamine has a street value of NT$20,000, the highest globally. The country’s laws mandate a life term and a ￥10 million (US$66,948) fine for suspects convicted of manufacturing amphetamines for profit.
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