The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said it has carried out what it called the largest ketamine bust in the nation’s law enforcement history after confiscating tonnes of illegal substances from a fishing boat near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島).
On Friday last week, Hsinchu prosecutor Sheng Yu-chih (沈郁智), leading a task force of coast guards, military police and the Hsinchu Police Department, found 52 sacks of drugs after raiding the Taiwan-flagged vessel Maan Ruby Fuh.
Officers seized 1.6 tonnes of ketamine and 22.5kg of amphetamines, inclusive of packaging material, the office said, adding that the substances had a street value of at least NT$2 billion (US$60.99 million).
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
The Hsinchu District Court on Friday authorized prosecutors to detain a man surnamed Chen (陳), who was the ship’s captain, and two Indonesian nationals under his employ with restrictions on their communications to prevent collusion, court documents showed.
According to the office, Hsinchu police and coast guard personnel separately obtained intelligence suggesting that Chen, who was convicted 12 years ago of cigarette smuggling, allegedly planned to traffic drugs into the country.
The office assigned the case to Sheng, whose investigation revealed that Chen allegedly intended to transport an unprecedented amount of drugs and cut deals with buyers from across Taiwan, it said.
The Hsinchu Military Police Command and Taichung Police Bureau’s Wujih Precinct were brought into the task force due to the purported smuggling operation’s unexpectedly large scope, the office said.
Investigators further found the boat’s transponder had not been turned on for more than six months.
When the boat abruptly reappeared near the Pratas Islands, Sheng ordered a team to board and inspect the vessel, resulting in the discovery of the narcotics in its hold, the office said.
Rough sea conditions stranded the trawler and the officers in the water until Thursday, when the substances were unloaded and weighed at Hsinchu Fishing Port, it said.
Chen’s drug suppliers appeared to possess some level of organization, as they allegedly packed the narcotics in tea bags bearing markings that seemingly denoted the quality of the substances they contained, the office said.
Police are directing the inquiry toward identifying the organizations or people who placed orders for the drugs, it said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS