Authorities in Tainan arrested 107 people, many of them Vietnamese migrant workers, in a pre-dawn raid on a party in the city's North District (北區) yesterday, seizing more than 900g of drug-laced coffee packets and ketamine.
The operation followed a June tip-off that a music hall in the district was secretly hosting all-night parties for Vietnamese workers, said Chen Po-yu (陳柏宇), deputy chief of the Fifth Precinct.
Photo courtesy of police
The venue, run by a 65-year-old man surnamed Chou (周), had been converted into a dance floor and private rooms, with strict entry controls to keep out strangers, police said.
After surveillance confirmed frequent drug activity, police joined forces with the National Immigration Agency and other units to form a task force led by the Tainan District Prosecutors' Office.
Before dawn yesterday, 88 officers raided the hall, arresting Chou, a 25-year-old Vietnamese dealer surnamed Tuan (段) and 105 others.
Among them were 11 Vietnamese migrant workers who had absconded from their jobs, most in their 20s and 30s, police said.
Police also seized more than NT$380,000 in cash and more than 300 packets of drug-laced coffee and ketamine weighing about 900g in total.
Chou and Tuan were referred to prosecutors on charges under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例).
The 11 runaway workers were turned over to immigration authorities, while the others were released after urine tests.
Police said the investigation is continuing to trace the source of the drugs.
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