TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Five people have been arrested on suspicion of leading a drug trafficking group after police seized a “large amount” of LSD and marijuana, prosecutors said on Thursday (Nov. 9).
After receiving information that a man surnamed Li (李) was selling drugs, police conducted an investigation resulting in two operations, in July and September, that saw Li and the four others arrested, per CNA. Police seized nearly 1,000 tabs of LSD, about 350 grams of cannabis oil, around 100 “coffee bags” (which are believed to contain mainly synthetic cathinones, sometimes known as bath salts,) and paraphernalia.
Led by a man surnamed Li (李), prosecutors said the group used the Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange TEDA to facilitate the transaction. After the drugs were purchased online, prosecutors said they were sent to Taiwan from Poland by mail.
The group reportedly charged between NT$300 (US$9) and NT$1,000 per tab of LSD.
Speaking to Taiwan News on Wednesday, Taiwanese Lawyer Zoe Lee (李菁琪) said recently she has seen an increase in the number of clients arrested for conducting drug transactions through cryptocurrency exchanges. Lee pointed to recent collaborations between law enforcement and the exchanges, though prosecutors said they received no personal information about customers from the exchanges whatsoever.
