5 indicted over Pingtung amphetamine factory

Taichung, Feb. 25 (CNA) Five people have been indicted by prosecutors in connection with a suspected amphetamine production site in Pingtung County that was raided last year, according to police on Tuesday.

Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said the drug case was being handled by the Pingtung District Prosecutors Office, with the five defendants facing charges under Taiwan's Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

Prosecutors allege that the chief suspect, a 40-year-old man identified by his surname Lee (李), operated an illegal narcotics factory on a banana plantation in Pingtung County's Wanluan Township.

During a raid on the site in August 2024, police seized manufacturing equipment and about 4.7 kilograms of ephedrine, a Category IV narcotic that can be used to produce amphetamine, a Category II narcotic.

The authorities also said they raided a residence in Pingtung County's Neipu Township where they discovered NT$1.3 million (US$39,651) in illicit profits and 15.9 grams of cannabis, a Category II narcotic.

A special task force made up of officers from the cities and counties of Taichung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yunlin and Pingtung had been formed to investigate the case, according to the CIB.