Nine people have been arrested and more than NT$12.75 million (US$431,355) in counterfeit New Taiwan dollars seized in a raid on a suspected drug and counterfeiting ring, the Taipei City Police Department said today.
The ring was allegedly led by a man surnamed Ko (柯), a 55-year-old member of the Four Seas Gang (四海幫), and a man surnamed Lu (呂), both of whom have prior convictions, the department told a news conference held by its Criminal Investigation Division.
The investigation began in October last year after police received intelligence on drug production and trafficking, said Shih Chun-hsing (施純興), supervisor of the division's second section.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Police Department via CNA
The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office then authorized the launch of a special task force to investigate the case, and identified Ko and Lu as the ringleaders, Shih said.
The arrests were made during coordinated raids in Taipei, New Taipei City and Hsinchu City, while police also found a drug repackaging site at a private residence, Shih said.
Five air guns, 76.38g of heroin, 154.87g of amphetamine, 14.56g of etomidate, 474.3g of propylene glycol, 1,162.8g of glycerol and NT$361,000 were confiscated at the scene, Shih said.
Lu, who police said is known as the "counterfeit currency master," was imprisoned in the 1990s for manufacturing older versions of NT dollar bills and released in 2020.
At Lu's residence, officers confiscated 12,756 counterfeit NT$1,000 banknotes, 35 uncut counterfeit sheets each containing four NT$1,000 bills and other materials used to produce fake paper currency, police said.
People should be alert as counterfeit notes are believed to be in circulation, the department said.
It released nine serial numbers that might have been used: RZ239907GM, PY288965HL, PW498068FL, TZ169260GQ, FL486439XJ, QW015231ET, QW672165AK, NX706635HK and TV208156DQ.
The department urged anyone who encounters counterfeit currency to contact the police immediately and not use or retain the notes.
All nine suspects' cases have been transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office. They are suspected of contravening the Penal Act of Offenses Against National Currency (妨害國幣懲治條例) and the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
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