TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A 50-year-old Taiwanese woman was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport after allegedly being tricked by an online lover into smuggling 16.22 kilograms of marijuana hidden in gifts she was asked to bring back from Thailand.
The Aviation Police Bureau said the woman, surnamed Wu (吳), arrived at Terminal 1 from Bangkok in October when X-ray screening revealed irregularities in her luggage, per CNA.
Chen Po-chuan (陳博全), captain of the APB Criminal Investigation Brigade’s Second Investigation Team, said officers opened the suitcase and found more than 30 packets of marijuana, a Schedule 2 controlled substance.
Wu, who is unemployed, told police she had met a man of unknown age on social media and developed an online romance. She said he invited her to Thailand, covered her travel expenses, and claimed he would offer her overseas job opportunities.
He later told her he could not meet due to work and asked her to deliver “gifts” to clients in Taiwan, promising payment after she completed the task.
Chen said investigators believe Wu unknowingly became a drug mule for a transnational trafficking operation. Although she claimed she did not know the gifts contained drugs, the APB transferred the case to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for investigation under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act. Prosecutors filed an indictment in mid-November.
Authorities said traffickers may be targeting victims through online romance scams to smuggle drugs into Taiwan. The APB said it is continuing to trace the mastermind and local accomplices.
The bureau reminded the public that transporting Schedule 2 controlled substances carries penalties of at least 10 years in prison or life imprisonment. It urged people to remain cautious when communicating with strangers online to avoid being lured into criminal activity.
