Miaoli County prosecutors yesterday said they had indicted 49 people for alleged illegal dumping, forgery, causing pollution and contravening the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法).
The case involves several companies and executives of business associations for treating sand and gravel. Suspects allegedly had made about NT$300 million (US$9.85 million) through unauthorized dumping in rural areas, prosecutor Peng Yu-ching (彭郁清) said.
Prosecutors said that the case, which they started to investigate last year, has revealed the largest organized criminal group involved in environmental pollution in the county’s history.
Photo courtesy of the Miaoli District Prosecutors’ Office
They said they have confiscated NT$120 million worth of real-estate assets, NT$24 million in cash during searches at offices and 39 dumpster trucks, a national record for such vehicles seized.
Following a 10-month-long investigation, authorities indicted the 49 people, including an elected official for Miaoli’s Houlong Township (後龍), surnamed Wang (王), and the chairman of a Taipei-based business association for treating sand and gravel, prosecutors said.
The suspects were charged with contravening the Criminal Code, and the Waste Disposal and Organized Crime Prevention (組織犯罪防制條) acts, they said.
The case has uncovered “major” environmental damage, including pollution of soil, rivers and streams in rural Miaoli along with other administrative regions, Peng said.
Miaoli police, the Ministry of Environment’s Environmental Management Administration and Changhua County authorities cooperated during the investigation, Peng said, adding that they have conducted seven waves of searches at a total of 34 locations, summoned 100 people for questioning and detained 15 suspects.
Suspects allegedly formed an “industry-wide crime chain,” forged business licenses and other certificates, and falsified records to pass inspections, Peng said.
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