A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters.
Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said.
Photo courtesy of Aviation Police Bureau
Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56 million).
The woman told prosecutors that she worked as a dental assistant in Toronto, but had struggled to make ends meet, and due to her financial difficulties, agreed to help a criminal organization smuggle drugs into Taiwan on the pretext of taking a vacation, Chang said.
The suspect was indicted by prosecutors for contraventions of the Narcotic Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) on Sept. 19.
In Taiwan, marijuana is classified as a Category 2 narcotic, the production, transport or sale of which is punishable by 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to NT$15 million.
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