Vietnamese Workers Arrested in Taiwan for $15.6 Million Marijuana Smuggling Attempt

Taiwanese authorities have dismantled a significant drug smuggling operation, arresting three Vietnamese migrant workers for attempting to import a large quantity of marijuana. The haul, weighing 392.883 kilograms and valued at over NT$500 million (approximately $15.6 million USD), was discovered concealed within bales of waste paper.

The operation involved a collaboration between the Keelung District Prosecutors Office, the Investigation Bureau, and customs officials. The drugs were shipped via sea freight, declared as waste paper. During routine border inspections, customs officers at the Keelung Port detected anomalies in the waste paper bales, leading to the discovery of 795 packages of second-grade marijuana.

Following the initial seizure, investigators initiated a controlled delivery operation to identify the individuals responsible for receiving the shipment. The primary suspect, Nguyen Dinh Hieu, was apprehended on May 4th in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, while attempting to sign for the cargo. When the smuggling group realized Hieu was missing, they recruited two other Vietnamese nationals, Huang Wen-chueh and Fan Wen-sheng, to take over the task of receiving the marijuana.

The new recruits were promised approximately NT$50,000 and NT$5,000 respectively for their roles. Huang was to use his residence in Yilan County as a drop-off point, and Fan would then be responsible for dismantling the bales and redistributing the drugs. However, the plan was thwarted in June when, as Huang directed Fan to collect a bale at the Yilan drop-off point, law enforcement officers were waiting and arrested them both, seizing the remaining contraband. The three men have been charged with offenses including "transporting second-grade drugs" and "smuggling controlled items into the country."