107 arrested in Tainan drug party raid, mostly Vietnamese workers

Tainan, Aug. 11 (CNA) Authorities in Tainan arrested 107 people, most of them Vietnamese migrant workers, in a pre-dawn raid on a drug-fueled party in the city's North District on Sunday, seizing more than 900 grams of drug-laced coffee packets and ketamine.

The operation followed a June tip-off that a music hall in the district was secretly hosting all-night parties for Vietnamese workers, said Chen Po-yu (陳柏宇), deputy chief of the Fifth Precinct.

The venue, run by a 65-year-old man surnamed Chou (周), had been converted into a dance floor and private rooms, with strict entry controls to keep out strangers, according to police.

After surveillance confirmed frequent drug activity, police joined forces with the National Immigration Agency and other units to form a task force led by the Tainan District Prosecutors Office.

Before dawn Sunday, 88 officers raided the hall, arresting Chou, a 25-year-old Vietnamese dealer surnamed Tuan (段), and 105 others. Among them were 11 Vietnamese migrant workers who had absconded from their jobs, most in their 20s and 30s, police said.

Police also seized more than NT$380,000 (US$12,716) in cash and more than 300 packets of drug-laced coffee and ketamine weighing about 900 grams in total.

Chou and Tuan were referred to prosecutors on charges under the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act. The 11 runaway workers were turned over to immigration authorities, while the others were released after urine tests.

Police said the investigation is continuing to trace the source of the drugs.