OG Article: here
View our Fair Use Policy: here
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Vietnamese student surnamed Wu (武, Ngô) was caught utilizing an international parcel service to transport drugs from Vietnam to Taiwan, according to the Aviation Police Bureau and Taipei Customs Bureau announcement on Tuesday (Dec. 26).
Authorities had seized two different parcels on July 20 containing what was billed as 17 cans of matcha green tea powder, which was a disguise to conceal the Class-2 narcotic, marijuana. The drug weighed 1,168 grams and 1,002 grams, respectively.
After checking parcel records, they found the recipient was located in Shenkeng District, New Taipei City. They contacted the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office to investigate, per CNA.
A task force's preliminary investigation found that the recipient of the package was to be a man named Wu. Later, it was found that the consignee had signed for multiple international parcels and had actively tracked the status of such shipments.
The police had monitored the individual for many days, finding that he was a Vietnamese student studying in Taiwan and employed on a part-time basis at a hot pot restaurant in Wanhua. It was surprising that Wu did not respond to the parcel service company’s calls to pick up the package or sign for the goods.
The police eventually decided to apprehend Wu when he left his residence. After investigation, it was found that he had participated in an online group in Vietnam to sell marijuana. Furthermore, he had searched for information on his mobile phone about how to smoke marijuana and how to sell it without being detected.
Wu eventually confessed that he had been part of a marijuana-selling ring to help subsidize his rent and daily living expenses. For just NT$7,000 (US$226), he provided his cell phone number and address to receive the illicit package to forward it onward.
At the moment, the case has been transferred to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for investigation and prosecution on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.
