Heroin Worth NT$40 Million Hidden in 70 Pairs of Longevity Shoes, 5 Suspects Arrested for Laos-Taiwan Drug Smuggling

(Central News Agency reporter Huang Li-yun, Taipei, 14th) An international drug trafficking group hid approximately NT$40 million worth of heroin in the soles of 70 pairs of longevity shoes, shipping them from Laos to Taiwan via express parcel. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) received intelligence and tracked down the suspects, launching several waves of operations to arrest 5 individuals, including three layers of recipients and the mastermind. The CIB held a press conference today to announce the case. Wu Han-chung, captain of the third investigation team of the CIB, stated that the Ministry of Finance's Customs Administration, Taipei Customs, discovered suspicious international parcels possibly smuggling drugs last year. Upon receiving the report, personnel were immediately dispatched to intercept two suspicious international express parcels from Laos on November 24th last year. Investigations revealed that the parcels contained 70 pairs of longevity shoes, and the transnational drug trafficking group hid drugs in the shoe soles and then re-stitched them. A total of 140 packets of Class 1 drug heroin were found, with a gross weight of 8490.7 grams, valued at approximately NT$40 million. The CIB immediately formed a special task force and reported to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office for command and investigation. The special task force meticulously traced the clues and discovered that this illicit group adopted a "multi-layer recipient" model to evade police investigation. First, a man surnamed Wang, the first-layer recipient, went to Xizhi District, New Taipei City, to sign for the parcels. Another man surnamed Chuang was present to monitor his package collection movements. Both were apprehended and arrested by the special task force on November 26th last year. Subsequently, on the same day, the special task force traced and pursued the second-layer recipient, a man surnamed Kao, who came to collect and transfer the parcels. They further discovered that Chuang was working under the instructions of a man surnamed Chien, an upstream member of the drug trafficking group. Chien was apprehended in Xinyi District, Taipei City, on December 1st last year. After detailed deployment and monitoring, the special task force finally apprehended the third-layer recipient, a man surnamed Chen, in Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, on January 21st this year. He was also the mastermind responsible for coordinating the overall operation of this case. After questioning, the 5 men were transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on suspicion of violating the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act. Wang, Kao, and Chen were ordered to be detained and held incommunicado by the court, while Chuang and Chien were released on bail of NT$100,000 and NT$200,000 respectively. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150414