Prosecutors seek heavy sentences in NT$300 million ketamine bust

Taoyuan, April 9 (CNA) Prosecutors in Taoyuan on Thursday indicted three men in a international drug trafficking case involving more than 512 kilograms of ketamine with an estimated street value of NT$300 million (US$9.43 million), seeking prison terms of over 10 years for two of the suspects.

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office said the suspects, surnamed Liao (廖), Chen (陳) and Tsai (蔡), were charged with transporting a Category 3 narcotic in violation of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.

Prosecutors are seeking sentences of more than 10 years for Liao and Chen, and more than seven years for Tsai, citing the large quantity of drugs involved and the potential harm to society.

In a statement, the prosecutors' office said the three men conspired with unidentified accomplices to smuggle 84 boxes of ketamine, falsely declared as glass fiber, from Frankfurt, Germany, to Taiwan by air on Dec. 7 last year.

The shipment was intercepted upon arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport by customs officers, who discovered 512.69 kg of ketamine concealed in the cargo and reported the case to investigators.

According to prosecutors, a joint task force led by the Investigation Bureau, working with customs and police, traced the shipment to a residence in Kaohsiung's Xiaogang District.

Liao had rented the residence as the delivery site, while Tsai rented a vehicle to assist in transporting the drugs, with the two receiving NT$80,000 in payment, prosecutors said. Chen allegedly directed two minors to monitor the operation and report back, offering them NT$10,000 to NT$20,000.

Authorities arrested Liao and Tsai in Kaohsiung on Dec. 10 when they attempted to collect the shipment, along with the two minors. Chen was later apprehended, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the seized drugs, if distributed, could have been used by around 1.7 million doses, posing a serious threat to public health and social order.

Due to the large quantity and risks associated with storage, the ketamine was sampled and destroyed in accordance with regulations before the conclusion of the investigation, the office said.

The two minors involved are being handled separately by the Kaohsiung Juvenile and Family Court.