Suspect cannabis grower claims 467 plants were for his own use

A man told police that 467 marijuana plants growing on two New Taipei City properties were for his own use, but investigators are not buying his claim.

Police began an investigation recently after residents reported a suspicious smell coming from a house in Tamsui District. Investigators suspected the smell was marijuana and applied for a search warrant.

Yesterday afternoon, October 15, police raided the property and arrested a 43-year-old man named Liao after finding 120 cannabis plants in the house.

During an interrogation, Liao admitted to having another indoor plantation at a property he rented in Bali District. Police searched the property and found a further 347 live marijuana plants.

Liao admitted that he had purchased the seeds online on a foreign website, and had taught himself how to grow cannabis from sources on the Internet.

But the marijuana was for his own use, Liao claimed.

Police did not believe Liao’s claim that the marijuana was for his own use due to the large quantity of the plants, which police estimate to have a street value of more than NT$100 million.

Liao was handed over to the District Prosecutor’s Office to be charged with offences against drug control laws.

Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.