Police officials on Wednesday touted their cooperation with US counterparts in busting a cannabis smuggling operation, resulting in the main suspect being deported to Taiwan to face trial.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) International Affairs Division said three officers were dispatched to assist in tracking down the suspect, surnamed Chung (鍾), who was found hiding in Los Angeles.
Allegedly a member of the Bamboo Union gang, Chung, 30, is implicated in at least three operations last year to smuggle a total of 51kg of cannabis, with an estimated street value of NT$100 million (US$3.07 million), in shipping containers of furniture from the US to Taiwan, said CIB official Lee Kun-ta (李昆達).
Photo: CNA
Chung and six other suspects face charges of engaging in organized crime and contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例). The other suspects were allegedly involved in transporting drugs, transferring money, or were nabbed as cannabis buyers in Taiwan, Lee said.
The investigation began in October last year, when Taipei customs officials discovered 30 pouches of dried cannabis products hidden inside two furniture shipments from San Francisco. Later that month, another 60 pouches of similar cannabis materials were found in a shipping container from the same origin, Lee said.
The police found that the same criminal ring had likely made successful cannabis shipments in September last year. Through surveillance and gathering evidence, the police were able to apprehend the six suspects and identify Chung as the alleged mastermind in the US, he said.
Police background checks found that Chung’s father runs construction firms in central Taiwan, while Chung had some prominence as a golf player, including competing in tournaments in Taiwan and the US, and had posted online videos about golf techniques, he said.
In cooperation with US counterparts, CIB investigators issued an international bulletin for Chung’s arrest and invalidated his Taiwanese passport to prevent him from fleeing to other countries, Lee said.
They also dispatched three officers to help US authorities in locating Chung’s residence in Los Angeles and mounting the raid that led to his arrest, Lee added.
US authorities verified Chung’s identity and took legal procedures to deport him, citing a violation of US immigration law. US officers handed over custody of Chung at Los Angeles airport to the CIB officers, who escorted him on a flight back to Taiwan on Wednesday, Lee said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
A British man was arrested for attempting to smuggle 14.37kg of marijuana into Taiwan through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Customs said late yesterday. The man, who arrived from Bangkok at 9pm on Friday, was asked by customs officers to open his luggage during a random inspection, Taipei Customs said in a news release. The passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, refused to open his suitcase and tried to flee the restricted area. He was eventually subdued by three customs officials and an Aviation Police Bureau officer. A later search of his checked luggage uncovered 14.37kg of marijuana buds. The case was handed over
RSS