Canadian dental assistant indicted for smuggling 32 kg of marijuana

Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32 kilograms of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said Wednesday.

The 30-year-old female suspect was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters.

According to Chang, customs officials noticed irregularities in the woman's two suitcases as they passed through X-ray baggage scanners.

Upon inspecting them, officers discovered 32.61 kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of over NT$50 million (US$1.56 million).

During interrogation, the woman told prosecutors that she worked as a dental assistant in Toronto, but had struggled to make ends meet.

Because of her financial difficulties, she agreed to help a criminal organization smuggle drugs into Taiwan, on the pretext of taking a vacation, Chang said.

The suspect was indicted by Taoyuan prosecutors for violations of the Narcotic Hazard Prevention Act on Sept. 19.

Details of the case were not shared until Wednesday, however, to allow investigators to probe the source of the smuggled drugs, the Aviation Police Bureau told CNA.

In Taiwan, marijuana is classified as a category 2 narcotic, the production, transport or sale of which is punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment and a fine of up to NT$15 million.