Taipei, July 13 (CNA) The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Thursday announced they had smashed a cross-border drug trafficking scheme with the cooperation of Thai police and that the Taiwanese duo involved were both detained after they sought to smuggle 20 kilograms of ketamine into Taiwan last year.
A 30-year-old woman, surnamed Chen (陳), was arrested in Thailand late last year and her ex-partner, also surnamed Chen, 55, who had multiple criminal records, was arrested in Taichung earlier this year, after their smuggling attempts were foiled by police in the two countries, CIB officer Chen Jung-piao (陳榮標) told a news conference Thursday.
The Royal Thai Police had been tipped off by the CIB that the two had entered Thailand on Oct. 25. last year. However, the man left the country, returning to Taiwan on Oct. 31, Chen Jung-piao said.
Chen Jung-piao added that the woman was arrested by Thai police on Nov. 29 last year after police discovered the 20 kg of ketamine — that has an estimated street value of NT$20 million (US$641,519) — she was attempting to ship back to Taiwan.
The first batch, which comprised 10.8 kg of the drug, was discovered concealed in two incense boxes at a Thai logistics company that were about to be shipped to Taiwan, he said.
Following this discovery, police then raided her rented apartment in Bangkok and found an additional 9.3 kg of ketamine that had already been packaged, along with additional paraphernalia, such as gloves and scales, he added.
She was sentenced to five years behind bars by a Thai court earlier this year, as well as being hit with a fine of 650,000 Thai baht (US$18,795), Chen Jung-piao said.
Meanwhile in Taiwan, after months of investigation, the man, who was a gang leader in Taichung, was detained in the city in March, he said.
Two riot guns, 20 rounds of bullets, several types of narcotics and NT$300,000 in cash were also seized during a raid on his property, Chen Jung-piao added.
The case against him has been handed over to Taichung prosecutors for further investigation, after he was charged with multiple counts under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, the Smuggling Penalty Act and the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act, police said.
