By Chiu Chun-fu and Jason Pan / Staff reporters
Police officials on Wednesday touted their cooperation with US counterparts in busting a cannabis smuggling operation, resulting in the main suspect being deported to Taiwan to face trial.
The Criminal Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) International Affairs Division said three officers were dispatched to assist in tracking down the suspect, surnamed Chung (鍾), who was found hiding in Los Angeles.
Allegedly a member of the Bamboo Union gang, Chung, 30, is implicated in at least three operations last year to smuggle a total of 51kg of cannabis, with an estimated street value of NT$100 million (US$3.07 million), in shipping containers of furniture from the US to Taiwan, said CIB official Lee Kun-ta (李昆達).
Photo: CNA
Chung and six other suspects face charges of engaging in organized crime and contravening the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例). The other suspects were allegedly involved in transporting drugs, transferring money, or were nabbed as cannabis buyers in Taiwan, Lee said.
The investigation began in October last year, when Taipei customs officials discovered 30 pouches of dried cannabis products hidden inside two furniture shipments from San Francisco. Later that month, another 60 pouches of similar cannabis materials were found in a shipping container from the same origin, Lee said.
The police found that the same criminal ring had likely made successful cannabis shipments in September last year. Through surveillance and gathering evidence, the police were able to apprehend the six suspects and identify Chung as the alleged mastermind in the US, he said.
Police background checks found that Chung’s father runs construction firms in central Taiwan, while Chung had some prominence as a golf player, including competing in tournaments in Taiwan and the US, and had posted online videos about golf techniques, he said.
In cooperation with US counterparts, CIB investigators issued an international bulletin for Chung’s arrest and invalidated his Taiwanese passport to prevent him from fleeing to other countries, Lee said.
They also dispatched three officers to help US authorities in locating Chung’s residence in Los Angeles and mounting the raid that led to his arrest, Lee added.
US authorities verified Chung’s identity and took legal procedures to deport him, citing a violation of US immigration law. US officers handed over custody of Chung at Los Angeles airport to the CIB officers, who escorted him on a flight back to Taiwan on Wednesday, Lee said.