TAIPEI: An American man was arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Thursday when he was found to have 10 packages of drugs in his carry-on baggage as he arrived in the country, according to aviation police.
A total of 10 packs of marijuana, classed as a class-2 narcotic in Taiwan’s four-category classification for narcotics, were found in his luggage, the police said. The drugs weighed about 1.03 kilograms, they added. The man, 38, went to Malaysia from Nepal on March 23, and flew to Taiwan from Malaysia on Thursday, the police added.
Acting on a tip-off that some backpackers have been recruited by a ring to traffic drugs into Taiwan, the police said they made a watch-list of suspects, including the American citizen.
In an initial interrogation with the police, the suspect claimed that he did not know that they were drugs, insisting that they were “gifts for friends,” the police said.
The man works as an English teacher in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan, the police said, but did not provide further information on how long he has lived in the country.
He was referred to Taoyuan prosecutors for alleged violation of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, while further investigation is underway to track down other accomplices in the drug ring, the police said.
Those found guilty of manufacturing, transporting, or selling class-2 narcotics are subject to life imprisonment or a minimum seven-year fixed-term imprisonment, and may also be subject to a fine of no more than NT$10 million (US$328,663).
