Gun Found in Toilet Tank at Taichung Teahouse Leads to Arrest and Conviction

An unusual discovery in a toilet tank at a Taichung teahouse led to the uncovering of a firearms case. Staff at the Chun Shui Tang restaurant on Shizheng Road found a bag containing a gun and ammunition after a customer reported the toilet's water tank was overflowing.

The incident began when police were investigating a suspicious vehicle in a nearby parking lot. According to reports, a 43-year-old man, identified by his surname Zhang, became nervous upon seeing the police activity. He then took a side bag, entered the restroom, and hid the bag containing the firearm and bullets inside the toilet's water tank.

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The side bag's presence disrupted the tank's normal function, causing it to overflow.

However, the bag's presence disrupted the tank's normal function, causing it to overflow. This anomaly alerted a customer, who then informed the teahouse staff. Upon opening the tank, the staff discovered the bag and immediately notified the police, who were already present in the vicinity.

Surveillance footage confirmed Zhang was the individual who entered the restroom with the bag. Police apprehended him at the restaurant and recovered an unlicensed firearm along with 10 live rounds. Zhang reportedly confessed to obtaining the gun and bullets in March or April of the previous year from an individual known as "Er Tong." He claimed he drove from Pingtung to Taichung to meet a friend for support. A court recently sentenced Zhang to five years and four months in prison for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, along with a fine of 60,000 New Taiwan dollars.

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The court found that Zhang, knowing that possessing a gun and ammunition was illegal, still brought the gun north in response to a friend's request for 'support,' clearly preparing for potential violent conflict.