Taichung Prosecutors Bust Money Laundering Ring Using Third-Party Payments and 25 Shell Companies; 9 Suspects Detained

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office received intelligence regarding a money laundering syndicate that set up 25 shell companies to apply for virtual accounts and payment codes from domestic third-party payment providers. These services were then provided to illegal gambling websites for gamblers to deposit funds. To disguise the source of the criminal proceeds, the group used 'liquor purchases' as a cover for withdrawing cash or transferring gambling funds to specific accounts, creating a break in the financial trail. Following the 'Suspicious Account Alert Center' mechanism established by the High Prosecutors Office, a joint task force conducted searches in February and April at 23 locations across Taichung, Changhua, and Nantou. A total of 25 individuals, including the ringleader surnamed Chen, were arrested on charges of violating the Organized Crime Prevention Act, gambling, and money laundering. Authorities froze 128 bank accounts containing over 24.96 million TWD and seized 972,700 TWD in cash and 2,184 USDT. Nine core members were granted detention due to risks of flight and evidence tampering.