Taipei police arrest 9, seize drugs, NT$12.75 million in fake bills

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Nine people have been arrested and more than NT$12.75 million (US$431,600) in counterfeit Taiwan dollars seized in an operation against a drug and counterfeiting ring, the Taipei City Police Department said Tuesday.

The ring was headed by a man surnamed Ko (柯), a 55-year-old member of the Four Seas Gang, an organized crime syndicate, and a man surnamed Lu (呂) -- both of whom have prior convictions, according to the department.

Speaking at a news conference held by the city police's Criminal Investigation Division (CID), Section Two Supervisor Shih Chun-hsing (施純興) said the investigation began in October last year after police received intelligence on drug production and trafficking.

Shih said the Taipei District Prosecutors Office then authorized the launch of a special task force to investigate the case, which identified Ko and Lu as the ringleaders.

The arrests were made during coordinated raids in the cities of Taipei, New Taipei and Hsinchu City, and police also uncovered a drug repackaging site at a private residence.

Five air guns, 76.38 grams of heroin, 154.87 grams of amphetamine, 14.56 grams of etomidate, 474.3 grams of propylene glycol, 1,162.8 grams of glycerol, and NT$361,000 in cash were confiscated at the scene, Shih said.

Lu, who police said was known as the "counterfeit currency master," was previously imprisoned in the 1990s for manufacturing older versions of Taiwan dollar bills and released in 2020.

At Lu's residence, officers confiscated 12,756 counterfeit NT$1,000 banknotes, along with 35 uncut counterfeit sheets each containing four NT$1,000 bills and other materials used to produce fake paper currency.

The cases of all nine suspects have been transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office on suspicion they violated the Penal Act of Offenses Against National Currency and the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

The Taipei City Police Department also warned the public to be alert for counterfeit notes and released nine serial numbers of such notes believed to be in circulation: RZ239907GM, PY288965HL, PW498068FL, TZ169260GQ, FL486439XJ, QW015231ET, QW672165AK, NX706635HK and TV208156DQ.

The police urged anyone who encounters counterfeit currency to contact them immediately and not to use or retain it.