Changhua Drug Manufacturing Ring Produces 600kg of Narcotics, Uses Joss Paper Burning to Mask Odor; Ringleader Sentenced to 13 Years

According to reports from Central News Agency, three men, led by a man surnamed Hsiao, manufactured narcotics inside a small room within a factory in Changhua County. To mask the strong chemical odors produced during the process, they burned joss paper. They collectively produced around 600 kilograms of the fourth-grade drug 2-bromo-4-methylpropiophenone, leading the Changhua District Court to sentence them to prison terms ranging from 8 to 13 years for co-conspiracy to manufacture narcotics.

According to the verdict issued by the Changhua District Court, Hsiao was promised NT$7 million as payment for manufacturing one ton of the fourth-grade drug in 2023. He rented a small factory room from another man surnamed Wang for NT$50,000 per production session and recruited a third man to assist in the drug manufacturing.

The trio conducted their operations during factory employees’ rest periods. Whenever pungent odors or smoke emerged, they immediately burned joss paper to avoid suspicion. Over six production runs, they manufactured approximately 600 kilograms of narcotics.

Hsiao drove a rented vehicle to Pingtung County multiple times to transport raw materials. To evade law enforcement, they employed a 'break-point' tactic, transferring the materials mid-route to another vehicle driven by Wang before returning to the factory for storage. Police legally apprehended Hsiao in Tainan City in January 2024.

Investigations revealed that Hsiao received NT$2 million in proceeds. After deducting NT$500,000 for containers, gloves, stirring tools, masks, and equipment, the remaining NT$1.5 million was split among the three—Hsiao received NT$820,000, while the others received NT$350,000 and NT$330,000 respectively.

The court emphasized that the defendants disregarded Taiwan’s strict anti-drug laws and produced a massive quantity of narcotics capable of severely harming public health and exacerbating drug abuse. Given Hsiao’s role in securing both the production site and raw materials and his leadership in directing the operation, he was deemed the ringleader and sentenced to 13 years in prison. The other two received 9 and 8 years respectively, with all criminal proceeds confiscated. The ruling may be appealed.