Factories busted for dumping toxic waste, NT$70 million of gold seized

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Authorities in New Taipei busted two factories for dumping toxic waste from gold refining into mountainous areas in the city and Hsinchu County and seized about NT$70 million (US$2.18 million) worth of half-finished gold products, the New Taipei Government said Tuesday.

The city government's Environmental Protection Department said earlier this year in a news release that it received a tip-off alleging a factory in the mountainous areas of Linkou in New Taipei had used nitric acid, a powerful chemical, to extract small bits of gold from waste materials like printed circuit boards and dental crowns.

After finishing the refining work, the department said, the factory released toxic nitric acid waste into the mountainous areas of New Taipei.

The department added that the waste contained heavy metals such as copper, nickel and chromium and its release led to plants withering.

The department said it worked with police and prosecutors to form a task force led by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office. The investigation found that a factory in Hsinchu's Xinpu Township had also released toxic waste.

The task force searched the factories on June 4 and Sept. 3.

The department said the June 4 raid revealed that toxic waste was being released from the Xinpu factory into the mountains. It added that investigators ordered operations to cease and seized about 26.25 kilograms of half-finished gold products, worth approximately NT$70 million.

After the raids, police and prosecutors arrested four people including the mastermind surnamed Chen (陳), the department said.

On Tuesday, New Taipei Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan (劉和然) and the head of the task force led a team searching the mountains for more evidence to ascertain how much of the area had been affected.

The department said Liu had instructed environmental protection personnel to clean up the pollution and ensure operations at the unlicensed factories cease.