Woman who smuggled drugs for romance scammer sentenced to jail

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) An Indonesian woman living in Taiwan has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after trying to smuggle heroin into the country for a person she met online.

The woman, identified by the Chinese surname Shu (舒), came to Taiwan 19 years ago to marry a Taiwanese man, but was widowed when her husband died four years ago, according to the ruling in the case issued by the Kaohsiung District Court.

At the end of 2023, Shu met a man named "Daniel" online, who claimed to be an American engineer who was recovering in Turkey after being injured fighting in the Ukraine war, the verdict said.

As their relationship developed, Shu agreed to a request by Daniel to go to Europe to transport "clothing samples" between countries on his behalf.

In May, Daniel asked her to transport more "clothing samples" from Thailand to Taiwan, offering to pay for her airfare, accommodation and US$10,000 in compensation, according to the verdict.

After traveling to Bangkok on May 28, Shu checked into a hotel, where a person gave her a handbag containing "clothing samples" to carry back to Taiwan, the verdict said.

When Shu arrived at Kaohsiung Airport on June 2, customs officials spotted irregularities in the handbag as it passed through an X-ray scanner. A subsequent search revealed that it contained 2.3 kilograms of heroin in two bags, with an estimated market value of NT$7.3 million (US$225,137), the court said.

During her trial, Shu admitted that she had gone to Thailand to transport the bag on Daniel's instructions, but insisted that she had not known what was inside.

She argued that she was also a victim in the case, since she had loved and trusted Daniel, and even planned to marry him at the time.

The court, however, found that multiple aspects of the case -- including Daniel's backstory, the nature of his requests, and the light weight of the supposed clothing samples -- would have raised suspicions to a reasonable observer.

Shu's history of internet searches about the penalties for drug smuggling, as well as her willingness to accept compensation, proved that she knew she might be helping transport drugs, but she went through with the plan anyway for money, the court said.

On those grounds, the court sentenced Shu to 16 years in prison for transporting a category 1 narcotic with uncertain intent. The verdict can be appealed.

In Taiwan, heroin, along with cocaine, morphine and several powerful opioids, is classified as a category 1 narcotic -- the most severe of four drug classes organized according to their potential for addiction, abuse and harm to society.

Under Taiwan's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, producing, transporting or selling a category 1 narcotic is punishable by the death sentence, or life imprisonment with a fine of up to NT$30 million.