International Parcel Hides 3 Kilograms of Marijuana Entering Taiwan; Pingtung Detects Drug Trafficking Group

The Pingtung District Prosecutors Office announced today that it recently directed the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior National Police Agency, the Neipu and Donggang Precincts of the Pingtung County Government Police Bureau, and other units to investigate a case involving the smuggling of drugs into Taiwan from Canada via international parcels. A total of approximately 3 kilograms of dried marijuana, a Class 2 controlled drug, was seized, and three defendants, surnamed Peng, Hsu, and Cheng, were indicted for violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act by transporting Class 2 controlled drugs. Pingtung prosecutors stated that after receiving intelligence and after the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance confirmed the Class 2 controlled drug marijuana component through inspection and identification, a special task force was immediately formed to collect evidence. They seized approximately 3 kilograms of Class 2 controlled drug marijuana and related evidence in Neipu Township and Nanzhou Township, Pingtung County, in September last year, at the time when the defendants involved were receiving and transferring the drugs. The police investigation revealed that the criminal group used international parcels to transport drugs from overseas into Taiwan, concealing marijuana in general cargo to evade inspection. They also recruited personnel through online communities under the guise of "parcel collection" and "delivery services," offering rewards ranging from NT$1,000 to NT$1,500 per instance, enticing the public to act as recipients and transporters. Pingtung prosecutors pointed out that this operational model deliberately created "investigation breakpoints," separating the acts of receiving, picking up, and directing among different personnel, and repeatedly changing recipient addresses and delivery locations to increase the difficulty of police investigation. The total amount of Class 2 controlled drug marijuana seized in the case was approximately 3 kilograms, with a black market value of over NT$1 million. If it flowed into the market, it could supply approximately 5,000 users. Pingtung prosecutors mentioned that Taiwanese judicial police agencies seized approximately 240 kilograms of marijuana in 2021, but seized approximately 5,025 kilograms in 2025, a rapid increase in the seized quantity. The Taiwan High Prosecutors Office has repeatedly issued warnings and instructed local prosecutors' offices to comprehensively suppress marijuana. Pingtung prosecutors focus on "intercepting drugs at the border and rejecting drugs at the customs" as a key prevention point, continuously strengthening inter-agency cooperation, and fully blocking drugs from entering Taiwan. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 11150408