Large-Scale Drug Trafficking Network Dismantled in Chiayi; 7 Indicted

Since October last year, the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office, in coordination with local police and the Coast Guard, conducted three waves of raids, dismantling a large-scale drug trafficking network in the Chiayi area and indicting 7 individuals, including a man surnamed Tsai. Prosecutors stated that Tsai and a man surnamed Zheng used an auto body shop as a front for selling drugs. Investigations identified the primary supplier, a man surnamed Chen, who was arrested and imprisoned in January. However, the investigation revealed that Chen's son, his girlfriend, and his new wife, a woman surnamed Zeng, continued the drug supply operation. Subsequent raids in March and May led to the arrest of the remaining accomplices. Authorities seized approximately 51g of cannabis, etomidate cartridges, over 700g of ketamine, more than 1,500 bags of drug-laced coffee, over 7,000g of cathinone-based drugs, and over 600,000 TWD in cash. Prosecutors warned that these emerging drugs cause permanent neurological damage and urged the public not to experiment with them out of curiosity.