TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Ten suspects including three Taiwanese and seven Burmese have been indicted for smuggling NT$3.5 billion (US$108 million) of marijuana into Taiwan.
Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office directed a Coast Guard Administration task force to intercept a Taiwan-registered commercial raft and an unmanned lifeboat in waters northwest of Kaohsiung on Dec. 10. They found 1,381 kilograms of marijuana, reported Liberty Times.
It was determined that a foreign oil tanker in southwestern waters was the mother ship for the drug trafficking operation. Therefore, Coast Guard boats were dispatched to intercept and investigate. Arrests were made, including the Taiwanese captain of the raft, surnamed Huang (黃), and the Burmese captain of the tanker.
The investigation found that after loading marijuana in Southeast Asian waters, the Burmese captain and crew of six headed to Taiwan to await transfer.
Upon arrival in the designated area, the captain told the crew to prepare the bales of marijuana and throw them into the sea. Huang would then navigate the raft towards the packages and his crew would retrieve and take them to shore for distribution.
All detainees were put in custody following the prosecutor's detention request, as ruled by the court. After the prosecutor's investigation, all 10 defendants were indicted for trafficking Category 2 narcotics.
The seized drugs were packaged in plastic bags, each weighing about 500 grams, with labels indicating the name and composition of the marijuana. The vessel involved has been auctioned off, with Ciaotou District Prosecutors' Office completing the necessary procedures and receiving NT$1.44 million.