TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwan man who directed the smuggling of about 340 kilograms of methamphetamine into Japan has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The man surnamed Hsieh (謝) was sentenced by the Taichung District Court on Wednesday (June 26) for smuggling the meth into Japan’s Aichi Prefecture with several accomplices in 2018, per CNA. An investigation found Hsieh orchestrated the operation, which involved packing the drugs into car wheels in Changhua’s Lukang and then shipping them to Japan.
Three of Hsieh’s accomplices surnamed Hsu (徐), Hsu (許), and Chen (陳) were arrested in Aichi in 2018 as they were unpacking the meth, which was estimated by Japanese police to be worth 200 billion yen (over NT$4 billion). Police arrested the men after receiving a report of suspicious activity from a member of the public.
Some of the men involved were prosecuted in Japan, and one surnamed Yao (姚) remains wanted by police. Hsieh was arrested in Taiwan in 2023, and was investigated by Taichung prosecutors as the leader of the operation.
Hsieh denied he led the drug smuggling operation during his trial, and said that his accomplices had told police he had committed the crime to reduce their sentences. The court used testimonies, correspondences, and other evidence to determine Hsieh led the operation.
The verdict provided by the court said that Hsieh’s actions had damaged Taiwan’s image, and that life imprisonment was deserved. He can appeal the verdict.
