Crime and Criminals

Australian woman sentenced to 16 years in prison for smuggling drugs into Taiwan

suspect flanked by customs police
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

An Australian woman has been sentenced to a 16-year prison term for attempting to enter Taiwan with a large quantity of drugs in her luggage in December last year. Debbie Voulgaris, 57, was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport after customs and immigration officers found 3.8 kilograms of heroin, and 385 grams of cocaine, hidden in her luggage as she attempted to enter the country on December 10, 2023. According to evidence presented to the Taoyuan District Court, Voulgaris picked up

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Guns disguised as everyday objects seized in Yunlin County

modified gun made from trekking pole
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Police in Yunlin County arrested a man after a search of his workshop uncovered guns disguised as everyday objects such as trekking poles and ballpoint pens. Yunlin District Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release today saying they ordered an investigation into a 58-year-old suspect named Chen on suspicion that he was involved in manufacturing illegal weapons. Police from Taichung City and Dounan Township conducted a search of a ironworks factory owned by Chen on September 1. The search uncovered a

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Fisheries Chairman shot dead in ambush outside his home in Tainan City

gunman shoots victim
Breaking News Violent Crimes 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

The chairman of the Tainan City Fisherman’s Association was declared dead in hospital after being shot 11 times as he left his home early this morning, Monday, July 8. According to reports, 53-year-old Lin Shijie (林士傑), a well-known and influential member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Tainan City, walked out of his front door at around 5:40 am to go hiking. As Lin walked towards a waiting car, a man dressed in jeans and a black hoodie quickly

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Marijuana grow op busted: 780 plants in three locations in central Taiwan

Police officer among marijuana plants
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan criminal investigators busted a marijuana grow op, confiscating 780 plants and 65 kilograms of dried cannabis at three locations in central Taiwan, in what is described as a sophisticated operation producing A-grade quality marijuana. According to a press release, the Telecommunications Investigation Team of the Criminal Investigation Bureau began an investigation after a tip-off at the end of last year. Police tracked the movement and activities of a 34-year-old man named Tsai and three accomplices. On May 21, police

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Record 2.4 tons of drugs destroyed: marijuana use increasing in Taiwan says MOJ

armed guard in front of drug shipment
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau destroyed 2,445 kilograms of illicit drugs seized during investigations, and said that the amount of marijuana continues to increase. On May 10, officers from the Taipei City Police Department, New Taipei City Police Department, and National Highway Police Bureau guarded the route as heavily armed personnel from the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau flanked an armored truck borrowed from the Bank of Taiwan as it made its way from a secure warehouse to the

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Passengers take down knife attacker on 10th anniversary of Taipei Metro Attack

composite picture showing bystanders taking down knife attacker
Violent Crimes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Three people were sent to hospital after a man traveling on a Taichung City MRT train suddenly attacked people with a knife before he was subdued by other passengers today, Tuesday, May 21. According to reports, a 20-year-old man, named Hong, boarded a train at Shui’an Temple Station at around 11:15 am. When the train was approaching City Hall Station, Hong suddenly took out a knife and lunged at another man. Many passengers scrambled away from the carriage in fear,

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Australian woman charged after airport customs finds large quantity of heroin in suitcase

handcuffed suspect led by police
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A 60-year-old Australian woman has been charged for attempting to smuggle nearly 7 kilograms of heroin into Taiwan via Taoyuan International Airport. Taiwan’s Aviation Police Bureau announced today that the woman was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport in December 2023 when customs officers found a package containing 6.926 kilograms of heroin in her suitcase. According to the police press release, customs officers spotted abnormalities in the suitcase during an X-ray inspection of inbound luggage. Customs officers waited until the woman

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Man suspected of deliberately crashing truck into police station: 1 officer dead, 1 injured

investigators after truck crashed into police station
Violent Crimes 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

A man is suspected of deliberately crashing a stolen truck into a police station, killing one officer and injuring another, before running onto railway tracks and being fatally hit by a train in Keelung City late last night. According to reports, a 34-year-old man, named Jian, stole a truck from the Aodi Fishing Port in Gongliao District. At 10:00 pm, Jian crashed the truck into the Badu Police Station in Nuannuan District at high speed, hitting two police officers. Jian

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Drug syndicate disguises drug mules as monks: Fake monks arrested at airports in Taiwan and Japan

monks costume and drugs as evidence in drug smuggling investigation
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A transnational drug trafficking group disguised drug smugglers as monks in an attempt to thwart airport security, but two of the fake monks have been arrested at airports in Taiwan and Japan. According to an investigation by the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office, a 25-year-old Taiwanese man named Liu Jingting was recruited by a drug syndicate to smuggle ketamine from Cambodia to Taiwan in September 2023. Liu Jingting was accompanied by two members of the group, Xu and Gao, who acted

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Junior high school student dies after school stabbing: gang-connected killer had a history of violent assault

school gate
Violent Crimes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

A 15-year-old student who was brutally stabbed by a fellow student at a New Taipei City high school on Christmas day has died, and serious questions about campus safety have been raised, after it was found that the alleged killer had a history of violence and gang affiliations. According to reports, during the lunchbreak on Monday, December 25, a third-year female student at a junior high school in Tucheng District went to a classroom to chat with another female student.

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Biggest amphetamine smuggling bust in Taiwan history: 1.4 ton drug haul intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung

shipment of amphetamines at Port of Kaohsiung
Drugs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Eight people have been arrested in connection with a 1.4 ton haul of amphetamine and ketamine intercepted at the Port of Kaohsiung in what police described as the biggest amphetamine smuggling operation bust in Taiwan’s history. According to information released at a press briefing yesterday, November 15, the Criminal Investigation Bureau received intelligence in February this year that drug traffickers were planning to smuggle a large quantity of drugs using cargo ships berthing at the Port of Kaohsiung. After long-term

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