TAIPEI: The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) seized around 12,000 lady’s slipper orchids worth an estimated NT$5 million (US$160,000) in Yunlin County that were smuggled into Taiwan from China, the agency said.
The Coast Guard arrested a man surnamed Shen who is suspected of smuggling the orchids from Guangxi Province into Taiwan through express delivery services and mini-links ferry services between Taiwan-controlled offshore areas and ports in Fujian Province.
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Shen bought the orchids at a cost of NT$5 each and sold them for between NT$300 and NT$1,500 each, Coast Guard officials said.
According to the agency, the flower is extremely rare and cannot be shipped without permits from both the exporting country and importing country.
In addition, importing lady’s slipper orchids from China is forbidden in Taiwan under existing laws, the administration said.
Shen could face a prison sentence of up to seven years or be fined up to NT$3 million if he is found guilty of violating the regulations, the agency said.
