Illegal Exchange of New Taiwan Dollars for Japanese Defendant to Buy Drugs in Taiwan, Man Indicted

Police and prosecutors received intelligence that members of Japanese syndicates were frequently coming to Taiwan to smuggle drugs back to Japan by concealing them in high-end food packaging. Following long-term cooperation between Taiwanese and Japanese police, filtering and inspecting suspicious Japanese individuals entering Taiwan, and continuous surveillance and evidence gathering, this international smuggling group was busted. In July of last year, four Japanese defendants and three Taiwanese defendants were indicted. Investigators found that since December 2024, a Japanese man named Noguchi contacted a Ms. Chen (under provisional suspension of prosecution) who had foreign exchange needs, and in March 2025, notified Ms. Chen via LINE that he wanted to exchange NT$1.1 million for Japanese Yen. Ms. Chen then informed Mr. Lin of Noguchi's request. Prosecutors discovered that Mr. Lin met with Ms. Chen and Noguchi to complete the Yen-New Taiwan Dollar transaction. Ms. Chen received NT$8,000 in remuneration, while Mr. Lin profited from the exchange rate difference. While investigating Noguchi's drug purchase funds, police found Lin and Chen to be involved, leading to their apprehension. Prosecutors also found that from 2024 to 2025, Mr. Lin was allegedly engaged in habitual illegal foreign exchange trading. Based on the spot selling rate of Mega International Commercial Bank, minus 0.001, he used LINE to contact clients from travel agencies, clothing stores, etc., to exchange New Taiwan Dollars for Japanese Yen, earning exchange rate profits. The transaction amount exceeded 270 million Japanese Yen. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150420.