Kaohsiung prosecutors have indicted three people, including a crew member of a freighter ship, on suspicion of smuggling marijuana into Taiwan.
The suspects, identified by their surnames — Tsai (蔡), Liu (劉) and Lai (賴) — were indicted for suspected contraventions of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), the Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday.
The office received a tip-off about the scheme toward the end of last year, prompting authorities to set up a special task force to surveil the three individuals, it said.
Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Taipei Times
In about the middle of December last year, the suspects allegedly planned to have Tsai travel to Thailand to source the marijuana, while Lai took care of shipping the drugs, as he worked on a freighter, prosecutors said.
Liu allegedly handled communications with the Thai supplier and was also in charge of selling the marijuana after it entered the country, prosecutors said.
In early January, Tsai arrived at the Port of Laem Chabang in Thailand with 27 bags of marijuana — as well as other items, including cannabis cigarettes — for Lai to transport, they said.
When the ship docked at the Port of Kaohsiung on Jan. 10, Tsai allegedly went to pick up the merchandise, after which he met up with Liu in a parking lot to unload eight bags of marijuana weighing 1.265kg inside a vehicle, they said.
From there, Tsai allegedly took the remainder in a backpack with the intention of traveling to Chiayi City.
He was arrested that day at the Taiwan High Speed Rail’s Zuoying Station, allegedly carrying 2.173kg of marijuana and other illicit items such as cannabis cigarettes.
Liu and Lai were subsequently arrested for their alleged involvement.
Prosecutors said the seized marijuana was worth about NT$6 million (US$181,609).
All three suspects were detained following a court order.
Cannabis is a Category 2 narcotic, the production, transport or sale of which is punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of up to NT$15 million.
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