Although highly diminished compared to past times, Taiwan’s organized crime groups still remain. Case in point: a recent bust of an international marijuana smuggling operation.
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Taiwanese law enforcement kick in the door of a suspect's apartment. They find him sitting in bed and shout at him to get on the ground. The suspect is allegedly part of an international operation to import marijuana from California.
The operation was discovered by the United States Department of Homeland Security, which found more than a metric ton of marijuana stored in wooden boxes bound for shipment to Taiwan. US authorities then notified Taiwanese police, leading to the suspects' arrest. A total of 5 suspects were arrested across the two countries.
On the U.S. side, two male suspects in their 60s were detained in California. In the state, marijuana is legal to grow and buy for personal use for those over the age of 21, the same as alcohol. However, international smuggling is still highly illegal, and possession of marijuana remains illegal in Taiwan, where it can be punished with prison time. Growing marijuana in Taiwan has a minimum sentence of one year in prison, and could even reach a lifetime sentence.
Police say that one of the suspects is a longtime member of the “Four Seas Gang,” who turned to drug smuggling after refusing to join the larger syndicate known as the “Tiandao League.” Now he will have to face his fate in court.