Coast Guard member detained in Changhua cigarette smuggling probe

Taipei, March 12 (CNA) The Changhua District Court has ordered one Coast Guard member to be detained incommunicado and granted bail to another amid an investigation of 20 people suspected of involvement in a cigarette smuggling ring.

The court issued the decision late Tuesday night following a request by prosecutors, who said the two men, surnamed Lin (林) and Liu (劉), were suspected of disclosing secrets not related to national defense, possession of assets of unknown origin, and violations of the Anti-Corruption Act and Personal Data Protection Act.

In its ruling, the court said Lin had admitted during an interrogation to disclosing secrets and unlawfully using personal data as a public official but had denied violating corruption laws.

Because the crimes Lin is accused of carry a minimum sentence of more than 5 years in prison, however, and because of discrepancies in what he and other suspects told prosecutors, the court agreed to order Lin's detention.

Liu also admitted to leaking secrets and unlawfully searching license plate data but denied having assets of unknown origin, the court said, ruling that Liu could be released on NT$100,000 (US$3,040) bail with restrictions on his residence.

Earlier Tuesday, the Changhua District Prosecutors Office announced that it was investigating 20 suspects, including three Coast Guard officials, a police chief and 10 police officers as part of a probe into a cigarette smuggling ring.

Prosecutors later submitted a request to detain Lin and Liu incommunicado, while releasing four individuals on bail, including one coastal patrol officer, police officers and smugglers.

The case began as an investigation into cigarette smuggling in 2023, when seized cell phones showed that coastal patrol officers and police officers were involved in leaking secrets and receiving bribes.

Prosecutors on Monday conducted searches in 38 locations, including the Coast Guard Administration Investigation Branch, Criminal Investigation Corps and Special Police Corps, several Taichung City police precincts, and a Changhua County Police Department precinct.

A total of 28 people were taken in for questioning.

A source familiar with the matter said individuals involved in the smuggling case allegedly looked into license plate data for official vehicles illegally.

That raised suspicions about information leaks to the targets of police investigations and possible acceptance of bribes, the source said.