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

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

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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Suspect fires at police during SWAT team raid: drug trafficking group arrested

A suspect fired at police before running out of ammunition and surrendering during a SWAT raid in southern Taiwan two days ago, Yunlin County police said at a press briefing today, January 21. Yunlin County Mayor Chang Li-shan commended police for cracking a major drugs and firearms case, and maintaining law and order in the lead up to the Lunar New Year holidays. The raid was a result of a months-long investigation after the Criminal Police Brigade of Yunlin County

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400 kg heroin haul the largest on-shore drug bust in Taiwan history

Police in New Taipei City arrested three men and confiscated 400 kilograms of high-purity heroin in what is believed to be the largest on-shore drug bust in Taiwan’s history, it was announced at a press briefing yesterday, November 4. The Criminal Investigation Corps of New Taipei City Police Department began an investigation into the large-scale drug trafficking operation after receiving intelligence in September that a warehouse on Dake 1st Road in Taishan District was being used by a drug smuggling

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8KG of pure heroin smuggled in shipment of Buddha statues from Myanmar

Five suspects have been arrested following the discovery of a batch of heroin bricks hidden in a box of Buddha statues at Taoyuan International Airport in July. Aviation police said that the suspects imported a shipment of Buddha statues from Yangon, Myanmar, in May, 2021. However, the goods sat at the airport for a long time before anybody attempted to pick them up and make a customs declaration. Two months later, in July, a man named Liu turned up at

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Ketamine smuggled from Pakistan in rock salt shipment leads to major drug supplier bust

An investigation into a haul of ketamine hidden in a shipment of rock salt imported from Pakistan earlier this month led to the bust of a local drug manufacturing operation, and prevented the import of more than 500 kilograms of ketamine and heroin from Thailand, Kaohsiung District Prosecutors revealed today. On December 4, a joint task force of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Kaohsiung City Maritime Affairs Field Division, and Kaohsiung City Customs Department opened a container at the Port of

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College student sentenced to 15-year prison term for picking up drug package

A fourth-year college student was sentenced to a 15 years and two months prison term for picking up a package of heroin on behalf of another man in Taichung City two years ago. According to reports, the 24-year-old man named Lin met a man nicknamed King Dinosaur (real name Chen, 38) at a nightclub in Taichung City in August 2017. Realizing Lin was short of money, Chen offered him an easy way of earning cash, by obtaining mobile phones from

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Suspect Arrested after Shooting at Cops

A man in Kaohsiung City led police on a chase in the early hours of the morning, firing two shots at the officers before being arrested. Police on patrol in Fengshan District at around 1:00am grew suspicious when the driver of a silver sedan attempted to speed away on seeing the patrol car. However, the hapless suspect ducked into an alley only to find it was a dead end. Lin, 41, with previous criminal records for drugs and burglary, abandoned

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High Grade Heroin Bricks found hidden in Child’s Car Seat

Police investigators found 5 bricks of high-grade heroin hidden under a child’s car seat, after swooping on a vehicle to arrest a suspect wanted for involvement in importing a large quantity of amphetamine precursors intercepted in May last year. The 38 year-old suspect named Wang was arrested after 5 police cars surrounded his vehicle in an alley in Nantun District, Taichung City yesterday, July 30. A search of Wang’s vehicle turned up 5 bricks of heroin of up to 90%

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Car Thief Crashes into Police Car in Attempt to Evade Arrest

A suspect in Taoyuan City side-swiped a police car and attempted to escape, but was arrested after he crashed head-on into another car. The 42 year-old suspect, named Lee, stole a car in Taiyuan District. Police were alerted to the theft by the car’s owner, and spotted the car at around noon yesterday in Guanyin District. As police maneuvered their patrol car to block his escape. Lee side-swiped the police car and drove around it. In attempting to get through

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Police Fire 8 Shots in Arrest of Drugs and Guns Trafficker

A suspect in Changhua County abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot after officers attempted to make an arrest. Police fired 8 shots as they chased the man through residential properties and fields, before the suspect finally surrendered. A military assault rifle was seized in the investigation. Mr Hong, 53, used a mobile food truck as a front for trading in drugs and firearms, police told media at a press conference in Taichung this morning. Hong traveled around Taichung, Changhua,

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