Customs officers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Sunday seized 560 packs of heated tobacco products from three people traveling from Japan, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The products were seized from a Taiwanese man disguised as a Japanese monk and two other passengers on China Airlines Flight CI 105 from Tokyo, the source said.
The man dressed himself as a monk to reduce the likelihood of being inspected, but others on the flight had seen the three packing the items at Narita airport and photographed their activity, the source said, adding that they reported the suspicious activity to customs officers upon their arrival in Taiwan.
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Officers searched the three when they arrived and discovered the heated tobacco products in their carry-on baggage, the source said, adding that the products were seized and stored in a nearby warehouse until health authorities collect and destroy them.
Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) that took effect on March 22 last year say that people caught illegally bringing e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products into Taiwan face a maximum fine of NT$5 million (US$155,434).
In other news, a shipment of chopping boards imported from South Korea by e-commerce operator Coupang Inc was seized at the border after failing to meet safety standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The cypress wood products on April 11 failed a dissolution test using acetic acid and ethanol, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said, adding that the 20kg shipment would either be returned to its country of origin or destroyed.
The kitchenware was the seventh such shipment imported by Coupang in the past six months that failed to meet Taiwan’s safety standards, the FDA said.
Batch-by-batch inspections of chopping boards imported from South Korea by the e-commerce operator would continue, Lin said.
Eight other imported items also failed safety inspections, a list issued by the FDA showed.
Among the other goods were barley leaf powder from China, cayenne chili powder from Malaysia and fresh truffles from Bulgaria, it said.
The powders contained pesticide residue in excess of tolerable levels, it said.
All imported dried chili and pepper powder, regardless of where they are imported from, are subject to a 100 percent inspection rate at Taiwan’s border, Lin said, adding that this includes testing for Sudan dyes and pesticides.
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