TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tainan prosecutors on Thursday indicted 102 people and 27 companies for illegally dumping and burying construction waste across eight administrative districts.

The dumping covered about 296,557 square meters, an area roughly equal to 40 soccer fields, per CNA. The Tainan District Prosecutors Office said the illegal operation brought in more than NT$28 million (US$900,000) in unlawful profits.

Prosecutors said the waste included concrete, bricks, tiles, asphalt, wood, steel bars, marble, calcium silicate boards, and aluminum window frames. The material came from construction sites and was moved to cut costs.

The main suspects were a married couple surnamed Hsu (許) and Yang (楊), who allegedly set up and ran the dumping network, per Liberty Times. Prosecutors said they worked with contractors, transport drivers, land providers, excavator operators, and on-site managers.

The illegal dumping took place between May 2023 and February 2025. Prosecutors said the waste was dumped, buried or piled up at multiple sites to cut costs.

ETtoday reported that the waste was spread across 23 locations in districts including South, Annan, Xinshi, Xinhua, Zuozhen, Guanmiao, Rende, and Qigu. Prosecutors said the sites included farmland, fish ponds, and land reserved for future solar power projects.

Prosecutors said they detained 22 suspects, questioned 101 people, and held 10 suspects in custody during the probe. Authorities also seized trucks, semi-trailers, excavators, and bulldozers used in the operation.

Prosecutors have filed charges under the Waste Disposal Act and submitted an indictment exceeding 1,400 pages, according to CTS. The case is now under court review.